Before we get into this, I want to put a disclaimer that admittedly I haven’t read the books. I do understand that the books offer a lot more than the movies. The issue is I’m just not a book reader but I have read about the differences between the films and the movies – mainly what the movies got wrong against the books so I have a basic understanding.
When the new Harry Potter series was announced by HBO, I was already skeptical but when they announced the series would pay homage to the books, that skepticism dropped slightly because as mentioned earlier, I never read the books so getting to see the books played out on TV wasn’t a bad idea.
What’s happening with the casting choices now though isn’t great. This is one of the things I think the movies got right, the casts were mostly spot on except for the ages of some of the characters against the actors.
First up is Paapa Essiedu. He has been reportedly offered the role of Severus Snape. I have no issue with race-swapping characters, but despite how great Paapa is as an actor, he’s coming up against Alan Rickman here. This isn’t a Paapa issue necessarily but I think no actor really is going to live up against Alan.
I also don’t believe this is paying homage to the books;
Snape is described 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. He wears black, flowing robes which give him the appearance of “an overgrown bat”
It’s not about race here, I want to make that point abundantly clear. I just don’t think this is a good choice for Snape in my opinion. Paapa is a good-looking gentleman, unless they do a Penguin-type overhaul with him then it’s not going to work.
Some of the others who are rumored to be cast are weird choices. Brett Goldstein as Hagrid is another one I can’t see working.
Hagrid has a friendly, softhearted personality and is easily driven to tears.
This is another actor I love as Brett was fantastic in Ted Lasso but he doesn’t give off Hagrid vibes whatsoever. It’s also another one of those where the shoes to fill are far too big considering Robbie Coltrane made that role his own.
Then there’s Mark Strong as Dumbledore. This is one that potentially could work but as others have pointed out, he’d make a pretty good Voldemort.
The casting choices seem off and already have people’s backs up and I’m not surprised. I still think this isn’t something that needs to be made yet. The movies only ended in 2011 and are still universally loved. The issue with this series is that it’s going to be constantly compared to the movies and if they can’t even remotely live up to that then it’s going to flop.
The idea behind the series is a good one ultimately. Having multiple series with 1 each dedicated to the books is a great idea but it doesn’t seem as though that’s the case anymore. I already feel like they’re veering off course and it’ll spiral from here.
Now, before anybody blasts me for this – I understand I am completely pre-judging these amazing actors before giving them a proper chance. As a fan of the movies, I just wanted to voice my concerns above all else about how it currently feels whenever new news drops regarding this show. I just want accurate representations of the characters we know and love. This show is already going to have one hell of a battle against the movies and based on the casting choices, it may have already lost before it began based on people’s feedback.
