‘Racist’ Harry Potter Fans Lose It Over Potential Snape Casting Twist They Never Saw Coming

Following the failure of the Fantastic Beasts series, Warner Bros. went back to the drawing board, deciding to reboot the Harry Potter franchise. A show is coming to HBO, and the production is starting to nail down some cast members. Unfortunately, racist Harry Potter “fans” are already attacking an actor.

Paapa Essiedu, best known for his work on HBO’s I May Destroy You and Black Mirror, is up for the role of Severus Snape, played brilliantly by Alan Rickman in the big screen adaptation. Snape is, of course, one of the most crucial roles in the franchise, serving as a double agent of sorts for Dumbledore and Co., so it makes sense that the powers that be would want to get his casting out of the way early. No matter Essiedu’s body of work, though, a certain group of people just won’t accept him.

Their “argument” for their dissatisfaction, if it can even be called that, is that HBO is “Blackwashing” a role that should go to a white actor. Obviously, Rickman was a white man, and since he’s the only actor to portray Snape in live-action (not counting the two actors who played him in the theatre production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), that’s the only frame of reference these people have and want to accept.

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There are already countless posts on social media with an alarming amount of traction that call out HBO for being “woke” and ruining the Harry Potter franchise before a single episode of the reboot even drops. Most of the comments are disheartening, to say the least, as it’s clear these people will not give any actor of color a chance if they end up taking a role that was originally played by a white person.

Thankfully, real Harry Potter fans have been quick to point out all of the issues with the “Blackwashing” argument. The first, of course, is that nothing about Snape’s character makes it so he has to be played by a white actor. He grew up as a half-blood and was bullied for it, which is something people of any race can relate to.

Then, there’s the fact that Harry Potter is set in a fantasy world where anything can happen. The whole point of the story is that heroes can come from the unlikeliest of places and still make a difference. If fans are able to accept unicorns, giants, and talking hats, they can accept a Black professor who really wants to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and has serious beef with the titular character.

There are plenty of roles still left to cast in the Harry Potter reboot, and more likely than not, people of color are going to grab some. Not everyone will be okay with it, but it fits the world and helps make up for the lack of diversity in the original movies, which, while beloved around the world, were far from perfect.