New Name Tops List To Play Voldemort After Cillian Murphy’s Scathing ‘Harry Potter’ Response

The actor stepping into the role ofLord Voldemortin the upcomingHarry Potterseries has some big shoes to fill after Ralph Fiennes' memorable performance as the villain for six years.

But while Fiennes has expressed a preference forCillian Murphyto be his successor, the Irish actor has shut down speculation that he will be involved in the franchise.

Online whispers linking Murphy to the role began six months ago after a scooper claimed to know someone working in theHarry Pottershow as a background actor.

Cillian Murphy has addressed speculation that he will play Voldemort in theHarry Potterseries

Image credits:Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images

The person claimed the show would be filmed at Hemel Hempstead and that theOppenheimeractorhad been cast as Voldemort, among other unverified claims.

When Hemel Hempstead was later confirmed as one of the locations, many assumed that the claim about Murphy was also true.

Ralph Fiennes then praised Murphy, calling him a "very good" choice to play the Dark Lord, which made fans even more excited about the supposed casting decision.

Image credits:Karwai Tang/WireImage/Warner Bros.

However, when asked about the speculation surrounding the role, the Oscar-winning actor clarified toThe Timesthat he's "categorically not" playing Voldemort. He also asked, "Can you make that the headline?"

TheHarry Pottershowhas already castits leading roles. Voldemort is the only main character who remains a question mark. According to insider Daniel Richtman, MCU star Paul Bettany is at the top of HBO's list to portray the villain.

The Irish performer denied being cast in the role after Ralph Fiennes said he would be a "very good" choice

Image credits:Netflix

Bettany is known for playing Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Dryden Vos inSolo: A Star Wars Story. The British actor's résumé also includes projects such asA Beautiful Mind,Legend,The Da Vinci Code, andA Very British Scandal.

There has been no official confirmation from HBO or Warner Bros. that Bettany will play Voldemort, but many fans of the franchise have already given the actor a thumbs up.

"That's actually a phenomenal choice," wrote one fan on X.

"Paul Bettany from playing Vision to Voldemort is the ultimate range; he can be warm and kind or cold and menacing perfectly," shared someone else.

Image credits:Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

"He's perfect for it," expressed a third user.

"Not a bad choice actually… would've gone with Cillian Murphy or maybe even got Ralph Fiennes back personally, but Bettany could pull it off," one fan commented.

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Meanwhile, another fan said they couldn't see Murphy playing the same role for several seasons. "I can't imagine Cillian Murphy committing to a prominent role in a massive franchise that would have him tied to the project for years on end."

Paul Bettany is likely to play the villain instead, according to insider Daniel Richtman

Image credits:Sony Pictures

Voldemort was famously played in the originalHarry Potterfilms by Ralph Fiennes, beginning with 2005'sHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In the first three movies, the role was played by different actors, including Richard Bremmer, Ian Hart, and Christian Coulson.

In January, Fiennes was asked who should fill his shoes in the upcoming series, to which he replied, "Well, I'm told they're already filled, aren't they?"

Image credits:Warner Bros.

The journalist then asked, "Who do you think it should be? If anyone could do Voldemort the way that you did Voldemort…"

"I've already said, I think Cillian Murphy is very good," the actor responded. "I think they've cast it, haven't they? I don't know. I thought they had."

ThePeaky Blindersstar, who is not on social media, denied the claims and admitted that he didn't even know his name was floating around to play He Who Shall Not Be Named.

Ralph Fiennes portrayed Harry Potter's nemesis for six years, starting withThe Goblet of Fire

Image credits:Ben Montgomery/FilmMagic

"Being a personality is not what I am good at," Murphy toldThe Times, before modestly adding, "I'm an incredibly average person, really."

Speaking withVariety, the 49-year-old actor clarified that he would not be playing Voldemort and said, "it would be very hard to follow Ralph Fiennes."

"This is, of course, what anyone who was playing Voldemort would have been told to say," the interviewer countered, to which Murphy replied, "Ha! No, I don't play those games."

Image credits:Universal Pictures

Another name thatwas suggested for the roleon social media is Cynthia Erivo. As showrunners have taken some liberties with casting decisions, choosing actors who don't resemble those in the original films, fans have speculated that Voldemort could be gender-swapped. Neither theWickedactress nor the producers have addressed this theory.

Dominic McLaughlin will portray Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will star as Hermione, and Alastair Stour will play Ron

Image credits:HBO

Whoever portrays Voldemort will join Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (Hermione), and Alastair Stour as (Ron).

Other cast members includePaapa Essiedu(Severus Snape), John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore),Nick Frost(Rubeus Hagrid), and Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall).

The first season of the Wizarding World TV adaptation is expected to be released on HBO in early or mid-2027.

Harry Potterfans shared their thoughts on who they think is the best choice to play Lord Voldemort

byJastin

in

March 04, 2026

New Name Tops List To Play Voldemort After Cillian Murphy’s Scathing ‘Harry Potter’ Response

The actor stepping into the role ofLord Voldemortin the upcomingHarry Potterseries has some big shoes to fill after Ralp...

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck Reunites with Joy Behar on “The View” and Reverses Course After Their Feud

During the March 3 Hot Topics segment of The View, guest co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar reunited

NEED TO KNOW

• In January 2025, Hasselbeck publicly slammed Behar for her criticism of Carrie Underwood's decision to perform at President Donald Trump's second inauguration and called The View "a sinking ship"

• In the recent episode, the two did not address their feud but acknowledged their years-long friendship

One year afterElisabeth Hasselbeckpublicly calledJoy Beharout for being "selfish," the two have reunited.

On the Tuesday, March 3 episode ofThe View,Hasselbeck, 48, kicked off her second day guest hosting the morning talk show at the Hot Topics table with Behar, 83,Whoopi Goldberg,Sunny HostinandSara Haines. While Hasselbeck previously slammed Behar for her criticism ofCarrie Underwood's participationat PresidentDonald Trump's inauguration in January 2025, the two did not address the feud.

"I missed you yesterday, Joy," theSurvivoralum said at the top of the show.

"It's like the old days with me and Elisabeth, how long were we here together?" Behar replied.

Hasselbeck was a main co-host onThe Viewfrom 2003 to 2013, is temporarily filling in for Alyssa Farah Griffin this week while she is on maternity leave. On Tuesday's episode, Hasselbeck further claimed that she and Behar "are like family."

Hostin, 57, even joked that Behar didn't like Hasselbeck's dress that day, which was a sign of their friendship.

"You know you're close to Joy when she starts making fun of the clothes you're wearing," Hostin teased.

After Underwood was announced as the "National Anthem" performer at Trump's second inauguration last year,the singer released a statement defendingher decision, writing, "I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future."

Behar was among those disappointed by Underwood's decision and shared her thoughts during a segment ofThe Viewat the time.

"I would not normalize him," she explained. "[Underwood] says, 'I love our country.' How do you love our country and support and normalize somebody who was a convicted felon who really wants to destroy the country in my opinion? I don't understand how you say you love your country at the same time as you normalize this convicted felon, which, I can say now every day."

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"I would not be the person to say, 'Don't do it,' because I believe in free speech and everything about it," Behar added. "I personally would not do it. No one's asked me, but that's another story."

That same day, Hasselbeck referenced the comments in a post onX. "That @TheView @JoyVBehar needs to simmer down off my friend," she wrote, before sharing another post that claimed Behar called Underwood "Un-American," although the TV personality did not ever use that phrase.

Hasselbeck also shared a photo of Behar to her Instagram Story with the caption, "Joy — @carrieunderwood is an INCREDIBLE WOMAN. You could learn from her strength."

Hasselbeck later appeared onSean Hannity's Fox News show, where she accusedThe Viewof refusing "to put anyone there who has a lick of sense on most days." She also said that Behar's criticism was "nothing more than selfish personal publicity-gaining right now," speculating that Behar "wants to attach her name to Carrie Underwood's name so that she maintains relevance because she knows the ship is sinking."

When Hasselbeck returned toThe Viewon Monday, March 2, she told her co-hosts that "civil discourse is not dead."

"We might have differences of opinion, but we love each other and we're stronger," she continued. "I actually think for the young people watching it's important to see that you can have — Whoopi, you've said it before — we can hold our positions in one hand, and each other's hand in the other, and be able to just live as Americans with the freedom that we have and speak our hearts and minds."

"We get to do that all week. It might get a little spicy at times, but we do not hate each other, we love each other. We have the freedom to do it, and it's important to remind everybody of that," she went on to say.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Viewairs weekdays on ABC.

Read the original article onPeople

byJastin

in

March 04, 2026

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Reunites with Joy Behar on “The View” and Reverses Course After Their Feud

During the March 3 Hot Topics segment of The View, guest co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar reunited ...

Read More

Top-ranked tennis player Aryna Sabalenka announces engagement to Georgios Frangulis

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Top-ranked tennis playerAryna Sabalenkahas announced her engagement to Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis.

Sabalenka posted a video of the proposal on Instagram, accompanied with the words "You & me, forever" along with a ring and heart emoji.

The news quickly drew congratulations from fellow tennis players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Amanda Anisimova, a possible opponent for Sabalenka in the quarterfinals at the forthcoming Indian Wells tournament in the Southern California desert.

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The tournament that opens on Wednesday will be Sabalenka's first since she reached the final at the Australian Open, whereshe lost to Elena Rybakina6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Jan 31.

AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

byJastin

in

March 04, 2026

Top-ranked tennis player Aryna Sabalenka announces engagement to Georgios Frangulis

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Top-ranked tennis playerAryna Sabalenkahas announced her engagement to Brazilian businessman...

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James Talarico projected to win Texas Democratic Senate primary

Texas Rep. James Talarico will win the U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Texas, CBS News projects, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett and securing enough votes to avoid a runoff in what could be one of the most closely watched races in this year's midterms.

He will face either incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn or conservative Attorney General Ken Paxton, who will face off in a May 26 Republican primary runoff.

The state's Senate primary is already the most expensive primary in history. For both Republicans and Democrats, the races are highlighting deep divisions within the party.

For Democrats, Crockett, a former public defender, has made national headlines for taking on President Trump and other Republicans, branding herself a fighter and appealing to the party's base. Talarico, a former middle school teacher and a Presbyterian minister-in-training, has focused his message on "politics of love" and inclusivity.

Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, but the party has been eyeing flipping the Senate seat since Beto O'Rourke came within three points of defeating GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. Democrats feel Republicans this year are even more vulnerable in Texas given the expensive and nasty GOP primary between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

But Democrats have struggled to unify behind a single candidate. Several high-profile Democrats were rumored to be considering a bid, including O'Rourke, Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Rep. Colin Allred. Allred, who challenged Cruz in 2024, jumped in the race in July, followed by Talarico in September.

The race in Texas is coming just months after Republicans in the state legislatureredraw the state's 38 House districtsunder President Trump's encouragement, leading Democrats to flee the state to deny them a quorum to vote on the new map. The Democrats' efforts garnered national attention and they raised millions, putting an extra spotlight on the Senate race.

The Dallas-area district Crockett represented in the House, the 30th, was one of the ones that was redrawn. On the December filing deadline, Allred dropped out of the Senate race, opting to run in the newly-redrawn House District 33, and Crockett entered the Senate race, setting up a showdown with Talarico. Republicans cheered Crockett's entry in the race, believing her to be the more beatable candidate in November.

With Talarico and Crockett agreeing on many of the issues, the race had come down to a personality clash. They have both been barnstorming the state, although with very different styles, and both have run combative ads against the other.

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Talarico made national headlines in February when he wasscheduled to appearon CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," but the interview didn't air on the CBS broadcast network due to new FCC guidance. Colbert slammed the decision and instead ran the interview in full on the show's YouTube channel, which does not have to follow the same FCC guidance. Following the Colbert controversy, Talarico raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours afterward.

According toVoteHub, 1.5 million votes had been cast in the Democratic primary during the 11-day early voting period, more than double the number that were tallied four years ago.

The race faced some last-minute disruptions on Tuesday. A judge in Dallas County ordered the polls to stay open for an extra two hours due to mass confusion over new precinct voting rules, but thestate Supreme Courtstayed that decision and said ballots that were cast after the usual 7 p.m. CT closing time should be separated out. It's not clear how many ballots were cast after the deadline or what will happen to them.

Crockett — a Dallas-area resident who is leading in Dallas County by a sizable margin — said late Tuesday she didn't believe the election results could be known that evening due to the issues in Dallas.

"Unfortunately, this is what Republicans like to do. And so they specifically targeted Dallas County. And I think we all know why," she told her supporters.

Talarico did not declare victory in remarks to supporters in Austin, but said "we are confident in this movement we've built together." He also referred to the situation in Dallas as "voter suppression."

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byJastin

in

March 04, 2026

James Talarico projected to win Texas Democratic Senate primary

Texas Rep. James Talarico will win the U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Texas, CBS News projects, defeating Rep. Jasmin...

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Mick Cronin urges allowing schools to exceed the $20.5M revenue-sharing cap to retain players

LOS ANGELES (AP) — March Madness is looming. So iscollege basketball's transfer portal, and that worries Mick Cronin.

The Division I men's portal opens for a 15-day window on April 7, a day after a new national champion is crowned in Indianapolis. This shortest window for entry yet follows a rule change this year to better align with the end of the season.

"We should do everything we can to stop these kids from transferring too much because nobody is going to graduate," the UCLA coach said Tuesday night afterUCLA beat No. 9 Nebraska. "These kids aren't going to have the grades if they're transferring three or four times, so we got to do everything we can."

Cronin is advocating for schools to be able to exceed the roughly $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap per school that began this season in order to retain their players.

"I know there's people at the Big Ten office that are for it, that's why I bring it up," Cronin said. "I told them I would back them."

Most schools are doling out the biggest share of the revenue pie to football players and giving whatever's left to basketball players. Schools are allowed to share up to $20.5 million with their players, but there still exists an option to provide third-party deals outside the school-to-player payments for name, image and likeness.

"You should be able to go over the revenue share to be able to retain players," Cronin said. "Very few of these guys are going to be able to retire on (NIL money), so we need to encourage guys not to transfer."

The transfer portal allows any player to find a new school every offseason.Chad Baker-Mazarawas on his fifth school at age 26 before he parted ways with Southern California's program last weekend.

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"If you're on your third school, they're not going to pay for you to come back when you're 25. You only went here for a year," Cronin said. "They're all going to be left in the dust."

Teams attempt to combat the transfer frenzy by having recruits sign multiyear NIL deals, but even then there are workarounds.

Cronin has worked the portal effectively in recent years, adding Donovan Dent and Johnny Juzang. But he also lost Aday Mara to Michigan, Dylan Andrews to Boise State and Berke Buyuktuncel to Nebraska.

"Berke's had a great year for them. I love Berke," he said. "He's found a great fit, he's in a great system for him."

Cronin said he receives calls from former players looking for help finding jobs.

"Guys need jobs when they're 27 and they're done playing in Europe," he said. "They have no resume because they've been playing basketball."

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

byJastin

in

March 04, 2026

Mick Cronin urges allowing schools to exceed the $20.5M revenue-sharing cap to retain players

LOS ANGELES (AP) — March Madness is looming. So iscollege basketball's transfer portal, and that worries Mick Cronin...

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Cale Makar, Parker Kelly lead Avalanche past Ducks 5-1 for a SoCal sweep

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Nathan MacKinnon secured his fourth consecutive 100-point season with a third-period assist, and the NHL-leadingColorado Avalanchesnapped the Anaheim Ducks' five-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night.

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Parker Kelly scored two goals and Scott Wedgewood made 27 saves for the Avs, who have won three straight and four of five since the Olympic break. Martin Necas got his 27th goal and Gabriel Landeskog also scored to completeColorado's back-to-back sweepof the Southern California clubs.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 29th goal and Lukas Dostal stopped 21 shots for the Ducks, whose eight-game home winning streak since Jan. 2 also ended.

Anaheim would have moved into first place in the Pacific Division with a point, but the loss kept Vegas one point ahead. The Ducks are in a playoff race down the stretch for the first time since 2018.

After two fruitless Ducks power plays in the opening minutes, Makar put the Avs ahead from the slot with his 18th goal.

Necas added his seventh power-play goal of the season 2 1/2 minutes later, beating his Czech Olympic teammate with a high shot. The goal was just the second on the power play in the last 12 games for the Avalanche, who inexplicably have the NHL's worst man-advantage unit despite their overall excellence.

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Gauthier hammered home a one-timer early in the second after a superb cross-ice pass from Jackson LaCombe, but Kelly got his 14th goal later in the period.

Landeskog then scored a goal in his second straight game, connecting early in the third on a one-timer from MacKinnon, who got his 59th assist to go with his NHL-leading 41 goals.

Up next

Avalanche: At Dallas on Friday night.

Ducks: Host New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

byJastin

in

March 03, 2026

Cale Makar, Parker Kelly lead Avalanche past Ducks 5-1 for a SoCal sweep

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Nathan MacKinnon secured his fourth consecutive 100-point ...

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Hurley goes out a winner in what could be his final home game at Arizona State

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Fans spilled out of the stands onto the court, jumping and shouting in celebration of Arizona State's massive upset.

Kansas Arizona St Basketball

As the chaos swirled around him, Bobby Hurley, a coach known for his fiery sideline demeanor, calmly walked along the scorer's table shaking hands with Kansas' coaches and players before heading up the ramp.

No fist pumps, no shouts of joy, even if may have been his final home game.

Just a coach proud of the way his team fought through adversity — just as he did throughout his career.

"These kids care about the game, they want to play the right way, and a lot of them are underdogs, like I always was," Hurley said afterArizona State's 70-60 victoryover No. 14 Kansas on Tuesday night. "And that's why I could relate to them."

Hurley's role as the ultimate underdog was part of what made his hiring 12 years ago such a big splash.

An undersized point guard, he won two national championships at Duke and is still the NCAA's career assists leader. He played five seasons in the NBA before a car accident cut his career short.

Hurley won almost immediately after becoming a head coach, taking Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his second season.

He also won at Arizona State, just not enough.

Through 11 years of ups and downs, Hurley entered the final season of his contract likely needing an NCAA Tournament berth to keep his job. The Sun Devils fell well short, leaving them needing a miracle run at the Big 12 Tournament or bust.

"He is the greatest coach that's ever coached me," said Arizona State guard Moe Odum, who had 23 points against Kansas. "I'd go to war with him anytime. I don't care what anybody says."

If Tuesday night was his final home game, it was quite a way to go out.

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Two of the biggest highlights of Hurley's tenure — outside of three NCAA Tournament appearances — were wins over Kansas in consecutive seasons.

The Sun Devils won at Allen Fieldhouse in 2017 against the second-ranked Jayhawks, part of a 12-0 start that propelled them to No. 3 in the AP Top 25, matching the highest ranking in program history.

The Sun Devils did it again the following season in Tempe, taking down Kansas for their only home win over a No. 1 team.

Fate brought the Jayhawks back for the potential end of Hurley's home finale in the desert.

The Sun Devils came out with the same fire their coach has on the sideline and during his playing days, smothering the Jayhawks while building a 20-point lead.

A coach was ejected and it wasn't Hurley — Bill Self was tossed for arguing an offensive call on Jayhawks star freshman Darryn Peterson.

Kansas stormed back, pulling with four, then back to two after Arizona State again stretched the lead to double digits.

Unlike some of the games they couldn't find a way to finish, the Sun Devils pushed back, shoving the Jayhawks out the door and Hurley to a win in what could be his final game at Desert Financial Arena.

"I don't think it was me," Hurley said. "It would have been a nice storyline, but I really believe that's who they are."

Competitive to the end, just like their coach.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphereandhere(AP News mobile app). AP college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

byJastin

in

March 03, 2026

Hurley goes out a winner in what could be his final home game at Arizona State

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Fans spilled out of the stands onto the court, jumping and shouting in celebration of Arizona State...

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