HBO is interested in casting I May Destroy You‘s Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape in their upcoming Harry Potter TV series, Deadline understands. However, no formal offers have been made to the actor nor has his team conversed with HBO suits about a potential deal.
In the movies, it was the late Alan Rickman who made the chilly, yet somewhat sympathetic Snape, famous. The character is expected to be the antagonist in the series. Both Mark Strong and Mark Rylance we hear are circling the role of Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.
An HBO spokesperson told recently about such casting rumors, “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.”
HBO is planning to have a diverse cast for the TV series. The long-running stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has also embraced diversity when it comes to the prime roles from the books and movies, i.e. Hermione.
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The Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated Essiedu recently signed with WME for representation. He notched a Supporting Actor Emmy nom in Limited or Anthology Series as well as a Lead Actor BAFTA TV nom for his turn as Kwame in Michaela Coel’s HBO series I May Destroy You. He also received a BAFTA Lead Actor TV nom for The Lazarus Project.
The actor’s other recent projects include the National Theatre’s The Effect, written by Lucy Prebble and directed by Jamie Lloyd, which is transferring to The Shed in New York this year; Season 6 of the cult anthology series Black Mirror (“Demon 79”); and the Working Title/Universal Christmas movie The Genie, directed by Sam Boyd and written by Love Actually‘s Richard Curtis. Essiedu also recently starred opposite Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun.
The Harry Potter series is written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod serves as EP and will helm multiple episodes. The show is an HBO production in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is also EPed by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and the franchise pic’s original producer, David Heyman of Heyday Films
Deadline’s Jake Kanter recently wrote about Gardiner, who was picked for the job in June after a grueling four-month selection process involving Rowling‘s input. Gardiner is currently assembling her writers room, which includes Killing Eve‘s Laura Neal as well as Andy Greenwald, the creator of USA Network series Briarpatch, and Josephine Gardiner, Francesca’s sister.