The highly anticipated HBO Harry Potter series is officially starting to come together with casting announcements finally being made public. Prominent entertainment website Deadline is now reporting that Doctor Who’s Paapa Essiedu is in the process of closing his deal to play Professor Severus Snape, a role infamously portrayed by the late Alan Rickman in the movie franchise.

As many know, discontinuity between the books and screen adaptations, mark the fourth unforgivable curse for die-hard Potter fans. Many have already noted that Essiedu is a stark departure from J.K Rowling’s original description of Snape, as a “thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and yellow, uneven teeth. He has shoulder-length, greasy black hair which frames his face, and cold, black eyes”.

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To be honest, race isn’t entirely at the forefront of the problems posed by Potter fans, rather many have welcomed the diverse casting that was so notably missing from the original franchise. However, Essidieu's modelesque looks could potentially compromise the narrative that frames Snape as the unfortunate looking, easy-target of James Potter's bullying.  

Snape in all his aesthetic awkwardness and non-conformity, acts as a conduit to highlight Lily Potter's kind and loving nature, when she fosters a friendship with him against the odds. With Essidieu’s casting, this entanglement just got several degrees hotter and you have to wonder if James will still come out on top! 

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Some progressives welcome the diverse casting, particularly in the face of J K Rowling being condemned by Liberals as a transphobe for some of her opinions. For others, a non-white Snape is more perplexing than running through a wall at Kings Cross Station and ending up in a muggle-concealed part of the Scottish Highlands.

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 Truthfully, the Harry Potter movie series and its incredible cast is still too engrained in the hearts and minds of fans across the globe for this reprisal to have ever gone seamlessly. Since the first mention of the reboot, many have complained that it was neither timely nor necessary to remake the classic just yet but HBO have pushed forward. 

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BAFTA-nominee Essiedu, who has made a name for himself in notable series such as "Gangs of London” and ‘I May Destroy You’, is expected to don the role for the next ten years or so. The 34-year-old is a much younger choice than many may have predicted, since Alan Rickman was a mature 54-year old when he first grabbed necks as Hogwarts moody Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher. Nonetheless, like a book in the forbidden section, Essiedu’s catalogue speaks for itself and we have no doubt that he will bring something exhilarating to the role! 

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Essiedu attended East London’s Forest School where he began his acting journey like several other successful actors including Eastenders actors Adam Woodyatt and Francesca Henry.

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