Harry Potter on HBO: Who young Tom Riddle wants to play in the new adaptation

The Harry Potter films had the challenge of showing Lord Voldemort at different stages of development and the ones included did justice to the source. We had the half-alive man possessing Professor Quirrell whose face haunted our nightmares. Christian Coulson was bone-chillingly austere as Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Frank Dillane let his manipulative side show in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. All of these actors played a younger version of Ralph Fiennes' Lord Voldemort, but just one has a literal connection and an interest in returning.

What might Hero Fiennes Tiffin be interested in?

When looking to cast a young version of a character, you can't get much better than family. In a 2008 Entertainment Weekly article called "There Will Be Half-Blood," director David Yates said that Hero Fiennes Tiffin, the nephew of Ralph Fiennes, was able to find "the darker space" when reading for the part and that the family resemblance was a "clincher." In a separate interview with USA Today, he said that Hero "got the corners and dark moods and odd spirit of the character." The final effect was that a boy who looked remarkably like Tom Riddle had a sense of dark detachment when he admitted that he could make people hurt if he wanted to when first meeting Albus Dumbledore.

According to SoapCentral, "Ever since the news broke out about the Harry potter television series on HBO, Potterheads have been in a tizzy, especially about the casting of their favorite characters." At the premiere of Picture This, "Fiennes-Tiffin not only expressed his desire to play a role but also encouraged Warner Bros. to reach out with a 'call me' sign." He told Us Weekly that "I would 100 percent be open to coming back as any character in the HBO Harry Potter series...I don't think I could be anyone else. I'm not just Team Tom Riddle, I'm Team Slytherin as well." He proudly stated that "I've picked my name out of the hat, and I'm Slytherin 'till I die." It's notable that the HBO adaptation is likely to include the scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Tom Riddle comes to Hogwarts to apply for a professorship. Could this be an avenue for Fiennes Tiffin to return to the rold?

Commenting on his last time working within the adaptations, Fiennes Tiffin recalls the late Michael Gambon as "just such a cool guy" and said that "we'd just be making jokes all the time."

HBO has not confirmed casting, but sources have named several front-runners for major roles already. The series is due to premiere in 2026 or 2027.