Kit Harington has replaced Nicholas Hoult in the Harry Potter series

Kit Harington has replaced Nicholas Hoult in the Harry Potter series.

The Game of Thrones actor will portray Gilderoy Lockhart - the role previously played by Kenneth Branagh in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the 2002 movie adaptation of JK Rowling’s boy wizard books - in the HBO fantasy series' second season.

A post on Harry Potter's official Instagram page read: "Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change due to scheduling: Kit Harington will now be stepping into the role of Gilderoy Lockhart."

According to Deadline, Hoult departed the role over "scheduling issues".

Harington is no stranger to portraying Lockhart, after he lent his voice to the part in Audible's Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, which dropped last year.

Speaking previously about being cast in the audio production, Kit said of the famous book series: "I read it, and like so many generations, I was entranced, and then I was a huge fan all through my teenage years.

"I think there’s a little bit of Gilderoy in all of us."

He also told Variety about the audio role: "It was a really simple yes, because I love the character.

"As far as cameos in a series go, you don't get much more entertaining and fun to do as an actor than Gilderoy Lockhart. It was a no-brainer."