Ralph Fiennes shared his thoughts on who should play Lord Voldemort in HBO's upcoming series Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone during his appearance on BBC's The Claudia Winkleman Show. Fiennes recalled being asked if he would want to reprise the role, to which he responded, "Yes, I would love to." However, he noted that after all these years, nothing has happened and that ship has sailed.

The renowned actor mentioned that Tilda Swinton's name came up in discussions about who should be cast as Voldemort, and he believes she would be fantastic. Swinton is known for her Oscar-winning performance in Michael Clayton and her role as the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia. She has also appeared in numerous productions such as Suspiria, Snowpiercer, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Asteroid City, and The Room Next Door.

Fiennes portrayed Voldemort in five of the eight Harry Potter films. The actor from the original series emphasized how challenging it would be for someone else to take on the role, stating, "It's really hard to follow that. The man is an absolute legend of acting. So I wish the person who will fill those shoes the best of luck already."

In the new series, lead actor Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, while Alastair Stout will take on Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton will portray Hermione Granger, Nick Frost will be Hagrid, John Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer will be Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu will take on Severus Snape, Rory Wilmot will portray Neville Longbottom, and Lox Pratt will play Draco Malfoy. Director Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones) will direct several episodes of the series, with the producer being Francesca Gardiner, the creator of Succession.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will be a re-adaptation of J.K. Rowling's seven-book series and the Warner Bros. franchise. The series will be exclusively available on HBO Max, set to premiere on HBO in Christmas 2026.