Famous and Familiar Names Announced for “Hogwarts Legacy” Voice-Over Talent

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As close as we are to the highly anticipated drop of Hogwarts Legacy, any updates not involving pushing back release dates are most welcome. This is why we’re extra excited about this latest announcement, which details the voice actors who will bring our gaming experience to life in just a few short weeks.

Voicing the cranky and cantankerous headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black is the renowned actor and comedian Simon Pegg. Pegg, whose filmography includes cult favorites Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, the Star Trek trilogy, and The Boys, expressed satisfaction at the opportunity to finally be a part of the Harry Potter universe in a recent interview.

I watched all those movies and always expected a role. Virtually every British actor has been in the Wizarding World films apart from me. And so to get the role of particularly a Black, one of the Black family, that’s a cool thing, because Sirius was always my favorite character in the books.

Pegg also takes the time to give us some insight into his character, whom he describes, among other things, as a “help and a hindrance” to the game’s players. Readers of the book series may recall Phineas Nigellus Black as the great-great-grandfather of Sirius Black, as well as his legacy as the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts’s extensive history. A video released by Wizarding World Digital gives fans a sneak peek into the snide Slytherin’s reign, and we have to say, Simon Pegg is nailing it.

 

 

One of the voice-over cast will not sound out of place in the halls of Hogwarts since he has attended the school before. Luke Youngblood, best known to fans as Lee Jordan in the Harry Potter films, lends his voice to Ravenclaw House. He will play the part of Everett Clopton, who, like Jordan, is described as a bit of a prankster. He is joined in Ravenclaw by the well-read Amit Thakkar, who is played by Asif Ali (WandaVision, Don’t Worry Darling), and Mahendra Pehlwaan, a Muggle-born student voiced by Adam O’Connor (The Risen).

Professor Matilda Weasley will be voiced by Lesley Nicol, of Downton Abbey fame. Other Hogwarts staff includes Astronomy professor Satyavati Shah, played by Sohm Kapila (The Mummy, Skyscraper), and Divination professor Onai, who is voiced by Kandace Caine. Caine also lends her voice to her character’s daughter, a Gryffindor student named Natsai. Jason Anthony (Star Trek Discovery, Ms. Marvel) has the honor of voicing two of the most iconic characters in the series: Nearly Headless Nick and the Sorting Hat.

And we’d be remiss if we failed to mention the voice of your character. Sebastian Croft (Heartstopper, Love, Death & Robots) plays one of your choices of avatar, whereas Amelia Gething (Emily, The Spanish Princess) voices the other.

As a reminder, those who preordered a Digital Deluxe or Collector’s Edition on PC, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X|S will have access to the early release on February 7. The official release of standard versions will still be on February 10. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will be released on April 4, and the Nintendo Switch version will be released on July 25.

Press Release
WARNER BROS. GAMES AND AVALANCHE SOFTWARE REVEAL VOICE OVER TALENT FOR HOGWARTS LEGACY
Cast Includes Simon Pegg as Headmaster Black; Sebastian Croft and Amelia Gething as Playable Avatars
Immersive, Open-World, Action-Role-Playing-Game Set in the 1800s Wizarding World Allows Players to Experience a New Hogwarts Adventure

Burbank, Calif. — Jan. 11, 2023 - Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software revealed today some of the well-known voice talent for Hogwarts Legacy, the upcoming open-world, action role-playing-game set in the 1800s wizarding world. Developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under the Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy allows players to experience life as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like never before, as they live the unwritten and embark on a dangerous journey to uncover a hidden truth of the wizarding world.

In Hogwarts Legacy, actor Simon Pegg plays Phineas Nigellus Black, the cantankerous Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. From a long lineage of Slytherins, Headmaster Black is hated by the students, of whom he also has a great disdain for. Wildly ill-suited to his job, his goal is to do the least amount of work possible and avoid exposure to the student body — preferring to focus on his status in the wizarding world and his surgically manicured beard.

As fifth-year students entering Hogwarts for the first time, Sebastian Croft and Amelia Gething play the two voice options for the game's playable avatar, which can be highly customized, enabling players to choose the witch or wizard they want to be.

Lesley Nicol voices a key character in the game, Professor Matilda Weasley. A Gryffindor, she is the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts who aids the player in catching up with the other students by giving them the Wizard's Field Guide and showing them the Room of Requirement. Kandace Caine plays Professor Onai who was once a Divination teacher at Uagadou, the largest wizarding school in the world, and a gifted Seer whose faith in her sight was shaken by the fact that she did not foresee the loss of her husband. Deciding to leave those painful memories behind, she accepts an invitation by Professor Weasley to teach Divination at Hogwarts. The professor of Astronomy, Professor Satyavati Shah, is voiced by Sohm Kapila. Raised in the Muggle world, Professor Shah is devoted to the sciences and tends to talk down to her students in winding and pretentious aphorisms.

And longtime franchise fans will be thrilled to recognize Luke Youngblood, who played Lee Jordan in the film series as he returns to provide the voice of Everett Clopton, a Ravenclaw and a half-blood underachieving rule-breaker and prankster. Asif Ali voices another Ravenclaw student, Amit Thakkar, a bright and well-read student who would leap at the chance to help a friend in need, though, once in the thick of things, often realizes he might be better off reading about certain adventures than experiencing them. Adam O'Connor voices Mahendra Pehlwaan, a muggle born Ravenclaw student and an avid rule-keeper, whose aggressive adherence to rules and guidelines even the professors have grown a bit weary of!

Jason Anthony voices both Nearly Headless Nick and the Sorting Hat. Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, also known as Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, is friendly and entertaining, if a bit pompous. He may be the key to helping the Gryffindor player find answers crucial to solving a significant mystery — if they are willing to do him one small favor involving a bit of rotten roast beef! And finally, the iconic Sorting Hat, a sentient, magical hat, uses knowledge from the student's past along with input from the player to determine which Hogwarts house will be the right fit.

For a video about Headmaster Black's legacy and Simon Pegg’s role in Hogwarts Legacy, visit: Headmaster Black's Legacy | Hogwarts Legacy on YouTube

For more information on how to pre-order Hogwarts Legacy, visit: www.hogwartslegacy.com