Ah, the Harry Potter fandom. A place where magic, nostalgia, and online debates about whether J.K. Rowling should still have Twitter thrive. It’s a community that has spent the last decade passionately defending, critiquing, and sometimes outright rewriting the beloved franchise.
And now, just when we thought the Great Hogwarts Discourse had settled into a peaceful slumber, HBO Max’s Harry Potter TV series has entered the chat, dragging with it an avalanche of casting announcements, inevitable controversy, and, of course, memes that will live forever in Twitter’s hallowed halls.
As the cast list unfolds, we are being gifted or cursed, depending on who you ask, with fresh interpretations of our favorite characters. Among them, is the ever-iconic, always-brooding Severus Snape, who will now be played by none other than Emmy-nominated actor Paapa Essiedu. So, let’s take a look at what we know so far and why this casting decision is both inspired and, unintentionally chaotic.
The casting in Harry Potter that shook the sorting hat
Deadline reports that Paapa Essiedu is in final talks to portray the enigmatic Severus Snape. For those unfamiliar, Essiedu is a powerhouse performer, known for his stellar work in I May Destroy You and Gangs of London. He brings an intensity that perfectly matches Snape’s brooding, sarcastic, morally ambiguous character. According to Deadline, when HBO was asked for confirmation on this, they said,
We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.
He joins an already impressive lineup, including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Janet McTeer, who is in negotiations to play Minerva McGonagall. Lithgow’s take on Dumbledore is bound to be an experience, imagine a world where the wise old wizard is one dramatic monologue away from telling Voldemort to get off his lawn.
And McTeer as McGonagall? Perfection. She already has that no-nonsense, “I will turn into a cat and still terrify you” energy. But, Snape is the wildcard here. Not because Essiedu isn’t a fantastic actor, but because of certain Harry Potter flashback scenes? Yeah, those are about to look very different.
James Potter, what have you done?
One of the most infamous moments in Harry Potter lore is the Snape’s Worst Memory flashback. In it, we see a young, arrogant James Potter and his Marauder gang bullying a teenage Severus Snape, hanging him upside down, humiliating him, and just generally being rich, entitled jerks.
Now, this scene has always been controversial, with fans divided on whether it was a harmless teenage rivalry or straight-up harassment. But with Paapa Essiedu’s casting, things are about to hit a whole new level of awkward.
A 1970s Hogwarts scene where a privileged, white, popular kid is bullying a black, poor, socially awkward kid for sport. Oof. The optics on that? Less mischief managed and more PR nightmare.
It’s not that the bullying scene was ever about race, but the context changes everything. In the original story, James and Sirius come across as cocky, reckless brats. But now? Now it looks like Hogwarts is just another elite boarding school where rich white kids torment black classmates.
And let’s not even get started on Snape’s infamous mudblood moment with Lily Evans. In the book, it’s a tragic turning point, Snape, in his worst moment, calls the girl he loves a slur, severing their friendship forever. But now? Now, we’re looking at a black character calling a white girl a derogatory name tied to her heritage, and suddenly, the original problematic moment turns into another problematic moment.
The internet has already erupted with joke,s with fans eagerly waiting to see how HBO will handle backlash from a scene where a rich white boy bullies a black kid for being poor and ugly. Snape’s entire arc would feel like a very, very different kind of struggle.
Ah yes we’re gonna watch a rich white kid in the 70’s bully a black kid for being ugly and poor. And then we’re gonna watch said black kid turn into a Nazi when he’s rejected by the girl he was childhood friends with who he called a slur
— Kaizen (@KaizenKzngeo) March 7, 2025
lmao maybe that casting was actually goated
— Angelica Reed (@Angelica_Reed1) March 8, 2025
maybe this will bring the end of the m*rauders fandom… finally
— Stella (@Sthormyy) March 8, 2025
I cant wait for this scene.
In Harry Potter, James Potter hangs Severus Snape upside down as a form of bullying and humiliation.
That should go over well.
— Jace, Cobra Saboteur (@JaceDarkfire) March 8, 2025
It’s not that Essiedu can’t handle the role, he absolutely can. It’s just that this casting takes scenes that were already complicated and make them ten times harder to navigate.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
