Harry Potter: the future HBO series may have found its Severus Snape

The more the weeks go by, the more the rumors spread regarding the casting of the future series Harry Potter currently in preparation at HBO and its streaming platform Max.

After hearing the names of Mark Strong and Mark Rylance circulating for the role of Albus Dumbledore, now it is the key character of Professor Severus Snape who has perhaps found his interpreter.

A casting still in progress

According to our colleagues at DeadlineHBO would indeed be interested in the British actor Paapa Essiedu, seen in Black Mirror, Gangs of London And The Lazarus Project.

HBO has not yet made an official offer to Essiedu and no agreement is currently on the table between the two parties. The channel recently addressed the various rumors surrounding the casting of the series Harry Potter to emphasize that she would not confirm any until the contracts have been finalized.

As a reminder, it was the late Alan Rickman who played Professor Snape in all eight films. Harry Potter from Warner Bros. Snape is an antagonist with a complex journey in JK Rowling's literary saga. Harry's least favorite teacher, he heads Slytherin House at Hogwarts and teaches Potions.

As soon as this series project was announcedHBO has clarified that its intention is to make one “faithful adaptation” novels. It also seems that the channel intends to emphasize diversity in its distribution.

By assigning the role to an actor of Essiedu's generation (born in 1990), the HBO series would be closer to the age range of the character in the books than the choice made for the films, even if we would move away in contrast to Snape's physical description.

If nothing has yet been decided on the casting side, we do know that the series Harry Potter will be headed by the showrunner and executive producer Francesca Gardiner (Succession) and directed, among others, by Mark Mylod (The Menu). JK Rowling is also associated with the production.

Waiting for the series to arrive Harry Potter on our screens in 2026 (or 2027), you can watch the film again Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stonethe events of which will be the subject of the first season, streaming on Max.