The Harry Potter movie franchise has been one of the most successful and beloved to ever come to the big screen. For any fans of the Wizarding World, the actors cast in the various roles have been burned into their brains as the physical representations of those characters. Yet, with a new Harry Potter TV series currently in development for Max, all those characters will be getting new looks in just a couple of years. And casting rumors have already begun.
A new rumor has revealed who may be a top candidate to play the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. If it turns out to be true, it may indicate that the show is looking to make a significant departure from the film franchise in some key ways. However, for fans of the original books, that may not be such a bad thing.
Who Is Rumored For The Role Of Snape In The Harry Potter TV Series
While no casting has been made official regarding the upcoming Harry Potter series, it’s being reported that Mark Rylance is close to being signed to the role of Dumbledore. Now, another of the Hogwarts teachers is allegedly close to being cast as THR is reporting that actor Paapa Essiedu, who most recently appeared in the Amazon series Black Doves with Keira Knightley and Ben Winshaw, has been offered the role of Severus Snape, though he has yet to officially accept it.
While fans are certainly going to be hanging on every casting announcement, the role of Snape is likely to be an especially important one. The potions master was played in the films by Alan Rickman. He was arguably the biggest star coming into the franchise, and due to Snape's arc over the course of eight films, he’s a vital and beloved character.
Paapa Essiedu would be a significant departure from Rickman in a couple of key ways. The most obvious is that he’s not white, as nearly everybody in the main Harry Potter cast was. Warner Bros. had previously indicated the series would have a more diverse cast. However, the more important difference is that Essiedu is two decades younger than Rickman was when he first appeared in the role.
Why Snape’s Casting Is Good News For Fans Of The Original Novels
One of the things many have asked when it comes to the Harry Potter series is simply, “Why?” With a beloved film series that isn’t actually that old, is there a real reason that a show needs to exist? One of the things a new adaptation can potentially do, though, is include more elements from the books and make a more complete and accurate adaptation.
We all know that Harry Potter is 11 years old when he starts school at Hogwarts, and according to the books, his parents were both about 20 years old when Harry was born, and Snape starts school the same year they do, implying they’re all the same age. So Snape should be in his early 30s as the story begins, and while Alan Rickman is a great actor, he’s not playing a guy in his 30s at any point.
The Black Mirror actor is currently 34 years old. That puts him in the perfect age range for the part, and gives this show the opportunity to portray Snape in a more book-accurate way.
If casting like this is going to be the standard then we could get a Harry Potter series with enough significant differences from the films to make the story worth retelling after all. And as we learn more about updates like this, we'll be sure to keep you posted.
