We’re only a little over seven months away from HBO’s much-anticipated Harry Potter reboot hitting the 2026 TV schedule. The cast for the first book’s page-to-screen adaptation is already set, but one major question is still hanging over the whole thing: who’s going to play Voldemort? Well, a certain Lord of the Rings actor has now officially thrown his nose into the ring. That's right, Andy Serkis.
During a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, Serkis, yes, Gollum himself, was asked point-blank whether he had ever considered playing "He Who Must Not Be Named." He seemed a little surprised by the question, but his answer was pretty emphatic:
Wow. Definitely [in]. I mean, yeah. I’m just waiting for the call, basically. That’s a cool one. Mind you, [Ralph Fiennes] leaves big boots to follow.
Of course, taking on a role that massive would come with a few sacrifices. There’s the potential commitment to several more seasons if HBO adapts all seven books (which rise in scale), and then there’s the other obvious Voldemort-related sacrifice: the nose. That is assuming the new version follows a similar design path to the OG films, where Ralph Fiennes’ Tom Riddle became one of fantasy’s most famously nasal-challenged villains.
Serkis, however, does not sound particularly worried about that part. When Horowitz joked about the nose situation, the actor gave the exact answer you’d want from someone who has already spent decades disappearing into unforgettable characters:
I’d chop my nose off, oh yeah. Of course.
Honestly, that is the kind of commitment you want from a potential Voldemort. The Planet of the Apes mainstay has built a career out of vanishing into characters, whether through motion capture, voice work or full-body performance. Between Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes movies and Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the man knows his way around haunted creatures.
Serkis has plenty going on outside of hypothetical Wizarding World villainy, too. His animated adaptation of Animal Farm already hit the 2026 movie schedule, though critics have not exactly greeted this trip to Orwell’s barnyard with open arms. Reviews are largely negative, knocking the movie for softening the book’s political bite and aiming the material at younger viewers in ways that apparently do not always land.
Still, the mo-cap revolutionary is not staying away from major fantasy worlds for long. He is also heading back to Middle-earth, and not just in front of the camera. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is expected to begin production soon and is aiming for a 2027 release. Serkis is set to direct the film and return as Gollum, with the story reportedly following Aragorn’s quest to capture him in the years between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. Lee Pace and Jamie Dornan are also listed among the stars, with Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou attached as writers.
Andy Serkis may already be booked for another trip through fantasy’s nastiest caves but, if HBO really is still hunting for its Voldemort, there are worse ideas than calling the guy who has made an art form out of turning monstrous characters into something strange and impossible to look away from. Seriously, Warner Bros., pick up your phone and give this man a call.
