Lenny Rush got a clear answer from HBO: Billy Barratt will play the young Tom Riddle in The Chamber of Secrets. The move shuts down the rumor that Voldemort might be gender-swapped and gives HBO a firmer line on how the role will be handled.
Barratt is 19 years old and British. That matters because the casting is not just about one scene; it tells viewers the series is treating Tom Riddle as a male version of the character before the December premiere.
Season 2 and Tom Riddle
HBO is already in pre-production on Season 2, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. That means the casting choice is landing early, before the series has even reached the part of the story where the diary and the memory of Riddle drive the mystery forward.
In The Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter communicates with a bewitched diary that once belonged to Tom Riddle, then writes back and forth with the memory to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets' reopening. Casting Barratt now gives HBO a face for that thread before the season arrives.
Ralph Fiennes and Christian Coulson
Christian Coulson played the young Riddle on the big screen, while Ralph Fiennes played the fully-grown Voldemort starting with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. HBO’s choice keeps the character aligned with that screen history instead of pushing the rumor cycle toward a different direction.
Last year, Daniel Richtman reported that HBO was auditioning men and women to replace Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, and that speculation spread far enough to name Tilda Swinton and Cynthia Erivo. Barratt’s casting cuts through that noise, because a male Tom Riddle makes a gender-swap version of Voldemort far less likely.
Professor Quirrell in Season
Luke Thallon is already playing Professor Quirrell in Season 1, which makes HBO’s casting pattern look deliberate rather than improvised. The series is building its villain timeline in pieces, and Barratt’s role is the latest sign that the production is mapping the later books while the first season is still ahead.
For viewers tracking the reboot, the practical takeaway is simple: the franchise is not waiting until later to settle the shape of its central villain. HBO has answered the rumor around Voldemort for now, and the next unresolved question is whether the adult version will be cast for later appearances or held back for later seasons.
