In a move that, should it turn out to be more than just an industry rumor, would signal a massive deviation from the network’s original promise that they would be producing “a faithful adaptation of the iconic books”, a new report suggests that HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series may race-swap Severus Snape by casting British actor Paapa Essiedu as its version of the Half-Blood Prince.
Word of Essiedu’s potential sorting into Slytherin was first brought to light on December 4th courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit and James Hibberd.
Having apparently learned of this information via “multiple sources”, the pair further relayed that The Lazarus Project star “has been offered the part although it is not clear if negotiations have begun in earnest.”
However, in having looked into this matter on his own, Deadline‘s Anthony D’Alessandro reported that per his own research, “no formal offer has been made to the actor nor has his team conversed with HBO suits about a potential deal”.
As such, it’s currently unclear just how much communication has actually occurred between Essiedu and HBO.
Further, the Deadline mainstay also claims to have heard “that both [Kingsman franchise star] Mark Strong and [Bridge of Spies star] Mark Rylance are circling the role of Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.”
Unsurprisingly, at current, HBO is remaining tight-lipped regarding the veracity of this Slytherin-styled scoop.
When reached for comment by D’Alessandro, a network spokesperson dodged the question, opting instead to offer the democratic answer of “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
While Essiedu is a distinguished actor in his own right, having starred in such films as Murder on the Orient Express and Men and led stage productions ranging from Shakespeare’s classic Hamlet to Caryl Churchill clone-dilemma-centric A Number, should he be cast as the fan-favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, it would represent a race-swapping of the character compared to the original source material.
As described in the series’ second entry, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, upon meeting his secret guardian for the first time since being rescued by him, Harry notes that Snape “was a thin man with sallow skin” – the term ‘sallow’ referring to skin that is an unnatural and sickly pale-yellow-brown in complexion, often due to health issues.
To that end, while some may try to claim that this means Snape could have had genuinely dark skin, at various times throughout the series, the Slytherin is described as having explicitly pale skin.
For example, while lashing out at Snape under the belief that he killed Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the young Wizard notes that in response to his attempts to hit the presumed murderer with a Sectumsempra spell, “Snape’s pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore.”
As such, it’s presumed that his ‘sallow’ appearance is due not to some previously undisclosed ethnic background, but rather his own disregard for both his physical health and personal hygiene.
Further, as seen among the bonus material included in the 2008 anniversary edition of Sorcer’s Stone, a sketch illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself circa-1992 clearly depicts Snape as a greasy-haired, stubble-bearing white man.
As noted above, should Essiedu end up being picked to play the eternally-cold-shouldered potions master, it would represent a significant break in HBO’s original promise, as made upon their announcement of its production, that the Harry Potter series would be “a faithful adaptation of the iconic books”.
