The new Harry Potter television adaptation by HBO is pushing ahead at full steam despite the fandom unanimously imploring Warner Bros. to leave it alone. In fact, the preparations have reached the point where we might finally know who will portray Severus Snape in the remake.
In the age of cash-grab reboots, where originality in Hollywood is a distant memory and risk taking a fading virtue, it was only a matter of time before all high profile franchises like Harry Potter made a return to the scene. For the past few years, Warner Bros. has been working on an ambitious new retelling of the story of the Boy Who Lived, and now that the studio has amassed a crew of experienced showbiz folks, the show is picking up pace to enter production by mid 2025.
The new Harry Potter has already cast half of its players. The latest person to join the ensemble was John Lithgow, who will be portraying Professor Albus Dumbledore. Now Deadline reports that showrunner Francesca Gardiner has also found her Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. Emmy-nominated actress Janet McTeer is currently in negotiations to play the former, while Paapa Essiedu, one of the people who had already been rumored to be in talks for Snape, is close to finalizing his contract and joining the Hogwarts Express.
None of these actors would be our first, second, or even third picks for the big three Hogwarts professors, but then, what talent could possibly hope to hold their own against Dame Maggie Smith and the late Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman? To say that Lithgow, McTeer, and Essiedu have big shoes to fill would be the understatement of the century, but Snape’s casting is proving to be exceptionally controversial on social media. The reason? You can stop me if you’ve heard this before: Diversity.
Whether it’s the fact that many people are preemptively ready to draw swords the moment a DEI hire happens, or that they’re too used to imagining Severus Snape as Alan Rickman or a character who closely resembles his looks, Essiedu’s casting is igniting a furnace of rage on X.
As people have repeatedly pointed this out before, Adam Driver could’ve been the perfect successor to Rickman’s Snape.
Adam Driver should have been cast as Severus Snape.
— Harry Potter Universe (@HPotterUniverse) March 7, 2025
He would have been absolutely perfect and HBO and J.K. Rowling blew it. pic.twitter.com/nYhuhjkyNB
It seems that not even some people of color are okay with this trend of characters changing race just for the sake of it, with one person going so far as to say: “Casting a black African man to play WHITE BRITISH Severus Snape doesn’t give me ‘REPRESENTATION’ at all.”
Whoever at HBO needs to hear this:
— Byl Holte (@SirBylHolte) March 7, 2025
Casting a black African man to play WHITE BRITISH Severus Snape doesn’t give me “REPRESENTATION” at all.
It gives me NAUSEA.
Because Harry Potter has been around for 28 years and 8 movies.
Which means you’ve had exactly that long to create a… pic.twitter.com/nC8ieArNO1
We have another in a long line of lazy, virtue signaling race swaps with Snape now being black. Further reinforcing that they only see legitimacy in white characters and think black should seal clap just because. This Harry Potter show just tanked itself pic.twitter.com/Kr9Eq5jNxa
— Kaida 🌊 (@khaliltooshort) March 7, 2025
Do you think Snape is a character that wouldn’t work if you changed his appearance? Some Potterheads appear to believe that’s the case.
He was right there. I'm sorry, but Snape is a character you absolutely cannot change! He's described the way he is for a reason. pic.twitter.com/aYUlkpByEf
— Lily* (@300mirrors) March 7, 2025
Then there are the books themselves, which describe Snape having sallow skin with a large hooked nose.
Nah fuck this shit.
— 💥WATASHI💥 (@Watashi_Yemox) March 7, 2025
“In the Harry Potter books, Severus Snape is described as a thin man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow pale skin.”
It ain’t about racism is about staying true to the source material simple. https://t.co/AanwhsY6BC
Essiedu’s breakthrough role was in 2020’s I May Destroy You, which bagged him an Emmy and a BAFTA nomination. His credits also extend to 2021’s Anne Boleyn, 2020’s The Lazarus Project, and the finale episode of Black Mirror season 6. Essiedu has garnered a measure of acclaim for all of these roles, so it’s safe to say that as far as acting chops are concerned, the man is more than capable of doing our beloved Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher justice.
A certain degree of outrage and doubt is always warranted whenever a favorite fictional character gets recast, but the reaction we’re seeing on social media is a little old at this point. How many times have we seen this scenario play out before, and for how many remakes? Because frankly, folks, the powers that be will do what they want to do at the end of the day, and everyone will decide for themselves whether they’ll watch or boycott the final product.
The Harry Potter remake is and always will be an unnecessary endeavor, but if this new show fails, it will be because of far more fundamental reasons than a casting mistake.
Published: Mar 8, 2025 09:22 am