Doctor Who icon favourite to play Lucius in controversial Harry Potter series

Doctor Who icon favourite to play Lucius in controversial Harry Potter series

The Muggle world has been set alight with rumours and fan-favourite picks for who could play who in the upcoming TV adaptation of Harry Potter.

HBO has already selected three young actors from the sorting hat to play Harry, Hermione and Ron, with Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout now on the precipice of international fame. 

They will be joined in the wizarding world by John Lithgow as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid.

The casting news has been met with a mixed reception, given how contentious JK Rowling has become in recent years amid her anti-trans views. A number of actors have ruled themselves out entirely.

There are still several key players from Hogwarts who have yet to be cast – with the cruel Lucius Malfoy among them.

The current favourite to sport the straightened blonde wig and do terrible things to Dobby is none other than the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith.

Would Matt Smith make a good Lucius Malfoy?

Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook shares her take…

It’s obvious where the thought behind this came from. Take one look at Matt Smith in House of the Dragon and you’ll think ‘Now who does this hair remind me of…?’

Between that and his fiery yellow mohawk in Darren Aronofsky’s new film, Smith has proven he’s willing to put the hair transformation work in to get the results on screen.

But would he be any good as the Death Eater? His wolfish part in House of the Dragon would suggest he could – but it’s hard to argue with some of the other (perhaps better) names in play here.

Tom Felton would be a wink and a nod to the original films (if he would want to return) while a gender flipped Lucius with Streep would provide a fresh dimension to the Draco relationship. 

Although, given that the Thrones spin-off is another HBO title, casting Smith would certainly save the props department a wig-sourcing job.

The 42-year-old is currently top of a bookmaker’s list of favourites to take on the character from Jason Isaacs’ portrayal in the films, sitting with 6/4 odds. 

However, he’s closely followed by Potter alum Tom Felton, who played Lucius’s similarly peroxide blonde son Draco, and has 13/8 odds to reprise a Malfoy role in the TV show, according to Gambling.com.

Unlike his co-stars from the original films, Felton has not completely disavowed JK Rowling over her anti-trans views. Instead, he acknowledged the author was responsible for the franchise while also saying he is ‘pro-human rights across the board’ in an interview with The Independent.

The next person in the list might have something of an edge, because not only do they have Isaacs’ approval, but several Oscars on at home to boot.

Isaacs said the Death Eater should be played by Meryl Streep, telling Variety: ‘She can do anything, that woman. There’s literally no limit to what she can do.’

Who would make the best Lucius Malfoy?

Plus, we know Streep has a villainous role in her arsenal after her terrifying turn as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, with 2/1 odds for the role. 

Isaacs was also asked if he had any advice for whoever is next to take on the role and questioned whether he needs to bother offering pearls of wisdom.

‘I know some of the people they’re casting already,’ he said. ‘They’re brilliant actors. It’s going to be fantastic, and the last thing they need is advice from some old fart like me.’

There’s every possibility Lucius won’t be cast anytime soon, as the character doesn’t appear in the first film. Although given that the TV show plans to be a more detailed adaptation, Lucius might be bumped up a season.

The Harry Potter TV show will air in 2026.