A Black British actor is facing right-wing backlash after it was rumored he’s been offered the role of Severus Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter TV show.
The entertainment behemoth Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is bringing JK Rowling’s popular franchise back to screens as an HBO series. It is set for a 2026 premiere, with each season detailing one book in the novel series.
According to British publications the Daily Mail and GB News, actor Paapa Essiedu (The Lazarus Project, I May Destroy You, The Outrun) is being eyed to play the iconic Hogwarts potions master—originally played by Alan Rickman in the films—though no deal is currently in place.
The news is being shared on X (formerly Twitter) by various accounts, with people taking the opportunity to share their displeasure at the potential casting choice.
This backlash comes as boycotts against “woke” initiatives have grown as companies take public stances on progressive social issues. Brands like Bud Light, Target, and Jaguar have faced criticism for campaigns involving LGBTQ+ inclusion, Pride merchandise, or environmental messaging, with some consumers accusing them of pushing divisive political agendas.
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for WBD and Essiedu for comment on Thursday.
The X account @EndWokeness shared a photo of Rickman as Snape alongside a photo of Essiedu. The caption reads: “HBO is set to name Paapa Essiedu to play Snape in the new Harry Potter series.”
At the time of writing, the post had been viewed 1.5 million times, with people sharing hateful comments.
Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo, who is a vocal Trump supporter, wrote: “Woke Hollywood is the worst.” His comment has been viewed more than 161,000 times.
“They just don’t learn do they. People are done with blackwashing…” @prophecy__13 commented, which had 52,200 views at the time of writing.
“Is there anything they won’t f*** up?” @SaltyGoat17 asked, with 61,400 views.
Sharing a post from the entertainment X account Culture Crave that announced the potential casting decision, YouTuber Ryan Kinel wrote: “If this ends up being a real story, f*** this entire show. The whole point of doing this series should be so you could adapt it to be as close to the books as possible. Snape is white. Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, and Kingsley Shacklebolt are black. The books are beloved by millions of people around the entire world, and there is no reason to change them. Period.”
His post had 769,900 views at the time of writing.
Dave Benett/Getty Images
Despite Kinel’s claims, Snape is never described as white in the Harry Potter books. It is written that he has sallow skin, a large hooked nose and uneven yellow teeth. He is also described as having greasy black hair that reaches his shoulders and cold black eyes.
Other people online have predicted the harassment Essidu will face if he takes on the role, saying that racism is at play when it comes to some of the backlash.
“Love Paapa Essiedu but man the harassment this man is about to receive is no where near worth the pay to do a Harry Potter reboot series,” @TheGiovanniLago posted with 7,192 views.
“If Paapa Essiedu does end up playing Snape, we’re going to see racism straight out of the 1800s. They’re going to start making up new slurs to call him,” said @artan_ayan. “The combination of online stan racism and the British tabloids who worship that TERF will be disastrous. I feel sick.” This had 5,763 views at the time of writing.
X user @Abz_Swervo22 added: “Racists throwing a fit, he’d do a great job. It’s going to be hard to live up to the original actors regardless of who gets selected, but I’d be more than happy with Paapa Essiedu as Snape.” This had 4,849 views.
In a statement regarding Esseidu’s potential casting, HBO 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.”
This isn’t the first time there has been backlash over a Black actor being offered a role in the Harry Potter franchise. Actor Noma Dumezweni played Hermione Granger in the 2016 stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The decision to cast a non-white actor proved controversial for some fans when Dumezweni was announced in December 2015.
However, Rowling slammed those who were critical, telling The Observer: “With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot. That’s the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.”
The author continued: “I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione ‘turned white’–that is, lost color from her face after a shock–that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with. But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a Black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.”
Rowling also took to X to defend Dumezweni’s casting, insisting that her Harry Potter novels never identified Hermione as being of a certain race.
In December 2015, the author posted: “Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves Black Hermione.”
