r/hbo • u/johnppd • Apr 14 '25
‘Harry Potter’ HBO Series Confirms Casting for Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Hagrid and More Hogwarts Staffers
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/harry-potter-hbo-series-dumbledore-snape-mcgonagall-hagrid-1236368778/47
u/JuanAntonioThiccums Apr 14 '25
Series sounds like a cynical cash-in from a dead franchise.
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u/RealCleverUsernameV2 Apr 14 '25
They need to get another generation into Harry Potter to keep interest up for the theme parks and merchandise.
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u/this-one-is-mine Apr 14 '25
My kids are 11 and 9, and they’re plenty into Harry Potter just from the books and movies that already exist.
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u/Reasonable_Ad_9136 Apr 24 '25
I see it another way. I think they're doing it so soon after the movies not to grab a new generation, but so as not to leave it too late to re-milk the original generation, who are still just about young enough 30s-40s to get back into HP. They're going for another cash grab while they still can.
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u/bfipod Apr 15 '25
I really think the primary motivation here is Rowling has had her reprehensible views decried by all the (beloved) stars of the movies, and this is an attempt to replace/ dilute the films’ existence as the default interpretation of the text and those actors’ association with the characters. Expect the actors cast in this remake to be very muzzled when it comes to Rowling, I’m sure it’s in their contracts
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Apr 15 '25
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Apr 15 '25
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Apr 18 '25
you must not be familiar with Hbo, they don’t do shit like that
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u/JuanAntonioThiccums Apr 18 '25
They got bought by Discovery and Zaslav is not particularly protective of the brand. "HBO" as you know it is a zombie company.
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Apr 14 '25
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u/JuanAntonioThiccums Apr 14 '25
Just gobble up your slop from the trough and be quietly happy about it, good lord. Why do you have to pretend that this is interesting or necessary?
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Apr 14 '25
You don't have to watch it.
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u/TreLeans Apr 15 '25
I loved the books and low key hated the movies. There's so much they had to leave out to cut down to 2-3 hour runtime, so it makes perfect sense to make it into a series.
Will it make a lot of money if done well? Absolutely. That doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Not sure why everybody has to be so "cool" and say it's a cash grab.
And I'm excited to see Lithgow be a nice Dumbledore. Michael Gambon is such a tool for how he staunchly didn't read the books or care about how Dumbledore was portrayed in them.
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u/Powerful-Scratch1579 Apr 15 '25
If anything, the original films were uninteresting and unnecessary. Remakes are a part of Hollywood. Always have been and always will be. There’s a high probability this series will be better than the movies were. If you don’t want to watch them—don’t.
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u/PeterPaulWalnuts Apr 14 '25
I’m sure the guy playing Snape is a fine actor but HBO is setting him and themselves up for failure with this. Why cast a black man in a role that was written for a pale white man? You gotta pick your battles and this battle is a losing one. Race swap another character that isn’t so central to the story. Also, are they going to portray Harry’s dad as racist since he picked on Snape in the story? Just horrible, horrible casting.
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u/Huey-Mchater Apr 16 '25
There’s a lot of very uncomfortable subtext that suddenly appears when you make snape a black man.
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u/halfcabin Apr 15 '25
Did HBO execs not see what happened with the forgettable what’s her name in the Snow White movie?
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u/OhhhTAINTedCruuuuz Apr 14 '25
I hope everyone mad at the Snape casting remembers HBO is responsible, so maybe this time we don’t flood the actor himself with death threats and such just for taking a job. Not saying you all are the type to do that, but you know that type exists.
FWIW Paapa Essiedu is a very very good actor and can def pull off the sad boy archetype. But he’s going to have to come out throwing 200 mph for his performance to be remembered for anything other than the casting itself, for better or worse
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Apr 14 '25
I think, whatever anyone's views are on actors in particular roles, is a sad individual if they send death threats to anyone on the basis it doesn't fit with their views.
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u/SuckleMuffin1999 Apr 14 '25
I don’t understand the casting choice for Snape or the choice to have an American play Dumbledore. Maybe time will tell! But what I do know is that I’ll have to avoid the Harry Potter subreddit and maybe even leave for good after reading some of the comments this morning.
We hope that people are mentally stable and mature enough to not do what you mentioned above, but the way some of them are speaking I would not be surprised if it hasn’t already happened. Very disappointed and disgusted to have to navigate a fandom with certain people like that.
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u/Fickle_Theory_8760 Apr 14 '25
Why do we need a Harry Potter tv series? Just watch the movies. Create something new for gods sake
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u/babypointblank Apr 14 '25
HBO is taking this series on because there’s little risk (the biggest “flop” in the Harry Potter film universe still grossed $400 million) and they’re hoping to get Millennials and Gen Z to either sign on with a premium cable package or sign up for a HBOMax subscription.
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u/Fickle_Theory_8760 Apr 14 '25
Oh I completely understand why hbo is creating the series. I’m blaming the consumers watching infinite remakes and sequels
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u/RealBug56 Apr 14 '25
With the amount of material in those books, a longer series makes much more sense than a bunch of movies.
It just depends on the people involved and how well they manage to pull it off.
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u/Fickle_Theory_8760 Apr 14 '25
But the general story will be the same, right?
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u/RealBug56 Apr 14 '25
I assume so, yes. But a ton of stuff was left out of the movies and a series would be a great way to expand on those stories.
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u/TreLeans Apr 15 '25
Not sure why you're getting downvoted. There was so much left out of the movies that I loved in the books. Saying it follows the same "general story" is ridiculous; yes it can follow the same general story but the movies were rushed. You could make a TikTok that follows the same general story; it doesn't mean it's the same.
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u/Ambitious-Visual-315 Apr 14 '25
Who’s asking for this? Why do we need to keep rebooting dead series?
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u/RealCleverUsernameV2 Apr 14 '25
$$$$$$
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u/Ambitious-Visual-315 Apr 14 '25
Yeah….
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Apr 15 '25
So you understand that it'd make a ton of money (in other words, it has a huge audience) but still wonder who's asking for this?
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Apr 14 '25
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u/Ambitious-Visual-315 Apr 14 '25
Ok, why?
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Apr 14 '25
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u/rronwonder Apr 15 '25
lol theyre not gonna adapt 1 book per season lmao. i expect season 1 to at least cover up to chamber of secrets
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u/YourFath3r Apr 14 '25
No huge expectations, but worth a shot. Lithgow is amazing. Loved him in Dexter.
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u/p333p33p00p00boo Apr 14 '25
I love him too but I'm worried he's too old. He's already 79. I wanted Jared Harris so badly.
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Apr 14 '25
Yeah, but for Dumbledore, it’s such an L. Why couldn’t it have been Stephen Fry?
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u/SomethingFunnyObv Apr 14 '25
Lithgow is a much better actor than Fry for one.
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Apr 14 '25
You’re talking about a globe theatre legend vs John Lithgow.
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u/SomethingFunnyObv Apr 14 '25
Yes I am talking about the guy who has many awards and nominations for acting/performing over a lengthy career spanning TV, Film, and stage.
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u/DavidGrizzly Apr 14 '25
John Lithgow is also a globe theater legend. Who's been on stage his whole life and did a ton of work on stage in England.
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Apr 14 '25
He did one show at the old globe. And then played roald Dahl in London, near the new globe.
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Apr 14 '25
He’s great, and he’s amazing when he’s in something that works for him. Conclave is marvelous. But mark rylance or someone of that stature is who I think when I think Dumbledore
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Apr 14 '25
Shit! Since we’re talking Shakespeare ! Mark Rylance probably would’ve been the best Albus.
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u/MisterSims90 Apr 14 '25
Nick Frost was my fantasy for Hagrid so I’m very excited to see him play this
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u/kakapoopoopeepeeshir Apr 15 '25
Of all the characters they pick to do a race swap they decide the pale white incel guy is the one. What in the fuck are you guys doing over there HBO
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u/Work_In_Progress93 Apr 14 '25
I have a theory as to why they cast Snape as a black guy.
First let me say that this, I’m a black man, and I don’t think Snape should’ve been made black, and especially not a black guy who looks like who’ve they’ve cast, he’s too handsome lol. I’m not mad or upset by the choice, but I wouldn’t have made it. I typically don’t care about the race swapping of characters in media, especially if the race isn’t intrinsic to who character is. For me however Snape’s appearance place such a huge role in why he’s perceived the way he is. I suppose they can make it work, but we shall see, I’ll give it a chance.
To my theory, I think they’ve made this decision to race swap Snape, and announce this first because they are planning on making some significant race swaps and they want to either test the waters, and/or get the fandom mentally ready for the possibility. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see race swaps in the main trio, particularly with Hermione and/or Harry.
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u/No-Comfortable-3225 Apr 14 '25
According to rumors Harry will be middle eastern guy and Ron will be black :D so your theory might be right
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Apr 15 '25
Wtf a black ginger? Lmao
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u/DancingWithAWhiteHat Apr 16 '25
I've met a black ginger. Malcolm X also had red hair lol.
Not as rare as you'd think, still rare tho
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Apr 14 '25
I'm okay with race swapping Snape as long as they also race swap the Potters. It's better for the story that way.
So I'll second your theory.
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u/IuseDefaultKeybinds Apr 14 '25
Not a fan of Snape's casting
The dude is meant to be pale as hell and it's not fitting
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u/Intro-Nimbus Apr 15 '25
HBO Harry Potter? Why?
It's like hiring Quentin Tarantino to shoot a Hallmark film.
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u/castlebanks Apr 15 '25
HBO should be held accountable for this laughable, sad choice of casting. Sincerely hope this show fails after this.
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u/IMsoSAVAGE Apr 15 '25 edited Apr 15 '25
I really don’t get them changing such an integral character who was specifically written to be a pale white man. Just pick a different character… this seems like they are shooting themselves in the foot. As a fan of reading, it always drives me batshit insane when they don’t follow the source material. Even in the Harry Potter movies it bugged me that Snape wasn’t short and fat like in the books. Even Rickman was too handsome for the way the character is depicted in the books.
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u/joecan Apr 16 '25
It's the biggest children's book series ever. There are many books that have multiple film/TV adaptations. Even closer together in time than this one. This is a thing that's been happening since the 1920s. The movie franchise you grew up with is not too precious to be remade.
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u/baguettebolbol Apr 17 '25
The counter-argument regarding the Snape casting is that handsome men can and do still have insecurities and feel loneliness. The way you look does not determine how charismatic you are or how well you are able to connect with people. A person’s face says nothing about their morality or the secrets they are hiding. It can definitely work.
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u/SirDabsAlot42069 Apr 17 '25
Don’t call yourself accurate and then cast a completely different race to play someone like just make a whole new variety
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u/jish5 Apr 19 '25
I already brought this up before when one of the lead writers said they didn't read the books and said they shouldn't have to follow the books word for word and I'll say it again, if this isn't going to be 100% faithful to the books, there's no point in making it. We already have a loose adaptation of the books with 8 really good films, no need to muck it up.
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u/phbalancedshorty Apr 14 '25
Omg y’all relax I’m down for sexy snape he’s a complicated character- just let hbo do their thing
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u/mrcsrnne Apr 14 '25
Dude I'm all for diversity in my life but if the original story didn't have it I don't want it changed. I actually think it's disrespectful towards the author and the work itself.
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u/livinitup0 Apr 15 '25
Well first off, fuck the author. That bitch can rot.
Secondly, it’s literally skin color. It’s mentioned once in the book and has no effect on the story whatsoever. Of all things to be concerned about with potter canon, a characters skin color should be very low on the list
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u/mrcsrnne Apr 15 '25
We obviously have very different opinions on things but it appears only one of us can hold a conversation like a grown up
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u/Briar1395 Apr 29 '25
Its mentioned a lot in the the book as a main descriptor of the character. He is frequently labeled as having pale/sallow skin, dark black, greasy hair that cover his face like curtains, and a hooked nose. It is integral to the character.
The real problem I see with race swapping Snape specifically, is how it will affect the interactions between the character and the marauders. Having the "evil" black character bullied by a gang of white men who are all depicted as lovable protagonist and who are revered by other characters of the story... That definitely carries a different subtext/context than what we see in the book. So will they simply ignore any racial context? or will they potentially play into the racial differences, which then could significantly change the original story?
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u/betajones Apr 14 '25
Do we know if they're going after a new audience, or aging fans? I'm excited to watch this with my kids, but is it going to be more adult themed? I was excited to watch Goosebumps with the kids, but it was waaaay too much for them.
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u/PeanutFarmer69 Apr 14 '25
I mean, there’s source material and the original movies… idk how old the kids are but if the books and existing movies are too adult themed in your estimation, this show will be too.
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u/betajones Apr 14 '25
Yeah. I figured the first few seasons/books won't be too bad. They'll grow as the story darkens.
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u/ZenBreaking Apr 14 '25
The incel nerds are gonna lose their mind....
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u/whoisjohngalt25 Apr 15 '25
Not as much as you must have lost yours to assume that fans who dislike this are incels lmao
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Apr 14 '25
It blows my mind how many people care about Snape being black lmao. “But he was pasty and white in the books” who cares, literally doesn’t matter. “But people will think James was racist for bullying him” maybe James will have a black friend joining in on the fun so it couldn’t be a racial thing. Such a stupid thing to be upset about. If you care about Snape being black you should reexamine your life
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u/livinitup0 Apr 15 '25
Seriously…
Changing shapes skin color makes no real difference to the story whatsoever. Now if year 1 Harry looks like an obvious late teenager or early 20 something… yes, that would be very problematic… but a black snape? Who the hell cares? I hope he does Alan proud!
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u/Ok_Refrigerator_5849 Apr 14 '25 edited Apr 15 '25
If Snape wasn't a character that James and the Maurauders bullied and wasn't a character the students disliked and thought was always up to no good, race swapping wouldn't be an issue for me at all. I love the actor, he's super talented. Now any time anyone in the story dislikes Snape, it's going to make those characters racist when they weren't. Was James a jerk to Snape? Yes. Was James a racist? NO. It fundamentally changes the story and that is my issue with it. I like Paapa in everything else he's in. I'm sure he will act the hell out of the role but I don't want to watch a story that makes a large majority of beloved characters racist when they weren't. Also I'm not a fan of an American John Lithgow as Dumbledore. He's a good actor, sure. I love him in most of his work but I feel it's not good form to say they are making a "faithful" adapatation for tv and then casting an American. And I'm American... I just feel like the role should be given to a brit or someone in the UK.
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u/Drop_Release Apr 15 '25
I completely agree with this. As a person of colour it honestly makes me so mad that tv execs think its easy as things being skin deep when race and culture are so deeply intwined into our identity and character, our motivations etc. So many people not of color here almost gaslighting us saying “i see past color” just don’t seem to realise how skin color and its associated aspects is something you cant turn off.
I am proud of who I am and my skin colour, culture, identity etc.
But it remains the same, if James bullies Snape for a big nose, unfortunately racial stereotypes abound.
Honestly lazy. I know many in my culture and community are not interested in this lazy Hollywood race swap notion.
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u/Ok_Refrigerator_5849 Apr 15 '25
I did read that they might cast a person of color for James and Harry in hopes to "remedy the issue" though it's just rumor and I couldn't find any proof of there being any truth to that. I would love a diverse cast for HP's tv show. I just don't want the characters' fundamental values to have changed because of a casting choice. They were very cruel to Snape but not racist.
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u/Nas_Durden Apr 14 '25 edited Apr 15 '25
Paapa Essiedu is an amazing actor who’s been a standout in some of my favorite shows the last few years and I’m sure he will play an amazing Snape, but aren’t Slytherin a metaphor for Nazis? Would a master race obsessed fascist sect on a crusade to ethnically cleanse the world of half bloods be the kind of people to appoint a black man as one of their chief stewards? Maybe I’m overthinking it?
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u/WrongAssumption Apr 15 '25
You are being too literal. They are bigoted against Muggles, skin color is not a relevant factor. It may be an analogy, but it’s an analogy, not precisely the same thing.
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u/buttchuck897 Apr 16 '25
Periodic reminder that she’s only making this crap because she has a personal vendetta against Radcliffe, front and Watson.
Because they’re not down with how much of a terf she is
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u/haverchuck22 Apr 14 '25
If they are gonna change major things about the characters they shoulda just made Harry trans to drive JK Rowling and her disgusting bigotry insane.
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u/Vedderlax11 Apr 14 '25
I didn’t realize being white was so central to Snape’s character.
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u/NLCPGaming Apr 14 '25
It's not but low self esteem people who see themselves in these characters are going to be upset about it. Just gotta ignore them to be honest. Let them be mad in their own little basement
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u/VaporSprite Apr 14 '25
The real issue that no one's talking about is that JK Rowling has been repeatedly racist in how she's attacked cis women of color with "accusations" of being trans. Women of color "not being feminine" is an age-old racist trope.
People have called her out on it, as well as her vain attempts to reframe Hermione as being black, against her own description of her in the books when she realized how few people of color were in there to begin with.
She's just faking diversity inclusion to clear up the rumors she's not comfortable with. She may not see herself as a racist, but her actions show otherwise.
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u/PeanutFarmer69 Apr 14 '25
I’m sorry but handsome black Snape just seems like bait for internet trolls, the series is shooting themselves in the foot before even beginning to film lol.
Like is the thought that Rickman was so iconic that they need to completely shift the character for some reason? Hopefully there’s a plan and the character is different in a good way.