Recommendations of the editorial team
With the announcement that Paapa Essiedu should take over the role of Severus Snape in the upcoming “Harry Potter” series adaptation from HBO, the discussions in fan circles cook up. The multi -award -winning British actor (known from “I May Destroy You” and “Gangs of London”) will slip into the iconic role, which was once embodied by Alan Rickman. But while many are happy about the fresh wind, others are realized by the supposedly “too various” cast – a reflex that was already felt when it was adopted by “Arielle”.
Paapa Essiedu in “Harry Potter” – bad casting?
The first voices are already being voiced on social media that would have liked a “faithful” Snape-Hollywood star Adam Driver in particular has long been traded as a fan favorite.
The allegations: Essiedu, who, as a black Brit, did not correspond to the description of Snapes in the books, was “only chosen because of the diversity quota”. Some accuse HBO of following the “Woke Zeitgeist” and ignoring the literary template. A user on X writes: “Paapa Essiedu is a good actor. I like him. But … what the hell is that? There is nothing in him that screams for Snape. “
Criticism with racist aftertaste
JK Rowling himself, whose transfigurous statements have been splitting the “Harry Potter” community for years, had emphasized several times in the past that the book figures were “white”. Many fans understand that HBO now sets a clear sign with a various line -up as a deliberate delimitation from the controversial author. Perhaps exactly the right step to show Rowling that the world she created no longer belongs to her alone.
HBO and Warner Bros. had already made it clear when the project announced that diversity was a central concern of the new series. And there are numerous voices that welcome and say: Finally a line -up that shows how the magical world could also look – open, diverse and modern.