Simon Pegg plays a “self-interested fool” as the headmaster in ‘Hogwarts Legacy’

The voice actors used for Hogwarts Legacy have been revealed by Warner Bros Games.

Simon Pegg will be providing the voice for Hogwarts headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black in the action role-playing game.

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“We saw Phineas in the [Harry Potter] books and films, he was a portrait in Dumbledore’s office but this is a time where he was actively the headmaster,” Pegg explains in a new trailer.

He goes on to describe the character as “pompous, disinterested [and] the least popular headmaster in the history of Hogwarts”

“I don’t think he has any interest in being a role model,” Pegg added. “He’s just a bit of an idiot [and] a self-interested fool”.

Pegg continued: “I’m extremely excited to be part of the Harry Potter universe. I watched all those movies and always expected a role. Virtually every British actor has been in the Wizarding World films, apart from me. It feels like something has finally been put right.”

Joining Pegg will be Heartstopper star Sebastian Croft and Amelia Gething, who provide the voices for Hogwarts Legacy’s two playable avatars.

Downton Abbey’s Lesley Nicol voices deputy headmistress, professor Matilda Weasley while The Human Centipede 2’s Kandace Caine and The Mummy star Sohm Kapila both play Hogwarts teachers.

According to the FAQs, Hogwarts Legacy has not been written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, though it does stay true to her “original vision”.

However many people are set to boycott the game over Rowling’s various anti-trans comments.

In 2020, she was criticised for a series of tweets that called out an article’s use of the phrase “people who menstruate,” implying that you can only be classed as a woman if you menstruate. Days later, she published a 3,000-word essay titled JK Rowling Writes About Her Reasons For Speaking Out On Sex and Gender Issues.

The lead actors of Harry Potter (Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson) were amongst those that condemned her views, with Grint saying: “Trans women are women. Trans men are men.”

Following the reveal of Hogwarts Legacy, the president of Warner Bros. Games reportedly spoke about the backlash.

“While J.K. Rowling is the creator of Harry Potter, and we are bringing that world to life with the power of Portkey, in many places, she’s a private citizen also,” David Haddad said. “And that means she’s entitled to express her personal opinion on social media. I may not agree with her, and I might not agree with her stance on a range of topics, but I can agree she has the right to hold her opinions.”

Hogwarts Legacy is set to launch February 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. A Playstation 4 and Xbox One version will follow on April 4, while Nintendo Switch players have to wait until July 25.

In other news, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is now available on mobile, thanks to Netflix.

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