Marvel star Paul Bettany has denied rumors that he'll be playing Voldemort in the upcoming Harry Potter TV show.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bettany said: "I've heard nothing about that through any official channels at all. No, that's just a rumor."
Another actor linked to the role, Cillian Murphy, also recently denied he'd be playing the villain: "I'm categorically not," he said. "Can you make that the headline?"
The Harry Potter TV show is a completely new adaptation of the fantasy novels, with one season per book. It's planned to run for 10 years. Nothing has been revealed about the Voldemort casting just yet, but the cast includes the likes of Paapa Esseidu as Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Dumbledore, and Janet McTeer as McGonagall.
The show has already been renewed for season 2: season 1 will cover Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released as Sorcerer's Stone in the US) and the second season will cover Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
"The idea is not to turn it into a DC or a Marvel," HBO boss Casey Bloys has previously said. "The idea is to go in and do the books."
But, that doesn't mean the show will be just like the films. "There will be things in the show that were not in the movie… but are not off-canon," he added. "The opportunity is to spend more time with the books."
The Harry Potter TV show arrives this December 25. While you wait, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming TV shows.
