Hogwarts Legacy has revealed its voice cast lineup ahead of its February 10 release, and it includes Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz) as the Heaster, Phineas Nigellus Black. Fans might recognise this name as one of Sirius Black's ancestors, whose hanging portrait has also been seen in Albus Dumbledore's office in the movies (Sirius Black, a popular character from the Harry Potter books, was portrayed by Gary Oldman in the film adaptations). Pegg describes the character as the “least popular Heaster” in Hogwarts' history, bearing a disinterested outlook on his job and on being an ideal role model for the students. “You know, it's a prestigious position,” Pegg said in a behind-the-scenes featurette. “What he wants is the kudos of being the heaster of the greatest wizarding school in the world.”
Despite being of the same lineage as Sirius Black, Phineas does not possess the same level of bravery or nobleness — he is the opposite. “He's just a self-interested fool,” Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. A related blog post notes that Phineas' arc in the game will focus on how he gained such a bad reputation in the wizarding school.
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Other additions to the cast include the three-time SAG Award (Screen Actor Guild) winner for Don't Worry Darling), attached to play another Ravenclaw student, Mahendra Pehlwaan, a Muggle-born student who is the polar opposite of Clompton and a stickler for the rules.
Netflix's Heartstopper-fame Sebastian Croft plays one of the player avatar voice options, while Amelia Gething (Emily) plays the female character archetype. Rounding off the cast are Kandace Caine (The Human Centipede 2) as Professor Onai, and Sohm Kapila as Professor Satyavati Shah, an Astronomy teacher. And finally, we have Jason Anthony playing two roles — Nearly Headless Nick and the Sorting Hat.
Set in the 1800s, long before the Chosen One was born, Quidditch won't be playable in-game.
Hogwarts Legacy launches February 10 on Nintendo Switch owners will have to wait till July 25.