‘Harry Potter’ backlash rages literal seconds after the potential new Severus Snape is revealed

Speaking of a remake that absolutely no one in the world asked for, and whose every news is a one-way irrevocable free ticket to controversy and outrage on social media, it seems that no matter how Warner Bros. approaches this completely unnecessary, unasked-for, obvious cash-grab attempt at bringing Harry Potter to live-action again, Potterheads on social media go after it with pitchforks raised and wands a-blazing.

It was reported today that the production team responsible for the HBO series is already looking at British actor Paapa Essiedu to portray Professor Snape in this new remake. Now, before you cast “incendio” to deservedly burn this entire undertaking to the ground before it even has a chance to hop onto Platform 9 3/4, note that this decision is not final. In fact, its very announcement could be a tactic the company employs to test the waters and ensure that they get the right person for what could arguably be one of the top three most important roles in Harry Potter.

Still, if that was the intention, the internet is answering with a resounding “NO” in response. Not only that, the report has once again got people thinking if we even need another Harry Potter adaptation when the original movies were so well-received. Nothing hammers that sentiment home so poignantly as thinking about Alan Rickman and his immortalized role as Severus Snape, the Half-Blood Prince, and the man who sacrificed everything in the name of love. Rickman’s tragic ing in 2016 makes rewatching those last Harry Potter movies almost unbearable. I mean, who doesn’t shed a tear (or a stream) when they watch The Prince’s Tale sequence from The Deathly Hallows?

And so, from decrying this proposed actor because he doesn’t fit the role to even mentioning their perfect candidate, mourning for Alan Rickman, and anything in between, here are some of the things Potterheads had to say about this new show on social media.

Now that the Harry Potter remake is all but inevitable, people seem to think Adam Driver is the perfect choice to portray him, even despite the obvious age difference.

As ever, some people have looked at the casting news and drawn the entirely presumptuous conclusion that it has to do with DEI practices in Hollywood, little realizing that Rickman himself would probably have rejoiced to see Snape portrayed by a person of color.

Again, it doesn’t matter who portrays the part. No actor would want to step under Alan Rickman’s long shadow, especially now that he’s no longer with us. The same goes for Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) and Sir Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), who ed away in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

As if the job of matching his acting chops wasn’t hard enough, the thespian cast will have to contend with the nostalgia surrounding Snape and Rickman, too.

Of course, trust Warner Bros. to take the completely simple-minded resolution to this problem and just bring on someone else. When do you think the company is going to realize that people simply don’t want another re-telling of Harry Potter, especially now that controversy dogs the franchise’s footsteps thanks to J.K. Rowling? Then again, leaving well enough alone has never been Hollywood’s strong suit.