It has become known who may play the role of Severus Snape in the new Harry Potter series

British actor Paapa Essiedu, 34, may play the role of Severus Snape in the new Harry Potter series, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter report. In the original films, the role was played by Alan Rickman, who died in 2016 after a battle with cancer.

The actor himself has not yet confirmed his participation in the project, and HBO has also declined to comment on the rumors. "We understand that such a high-profile series will generate a lot of rumors and speculation. Since we are in the pre-production stage, we will not confirm details until deals are completed."

Essiedu has appeared in films such as Murder on the Orient Express, Male and Genie, and TV series such as Gangs of London, Anne Boleyn, The Miniaturist, I May Destroy You, and he also appeared in an episode of Season 6 of Black Mirror.

The decision has already been criticized online: Severus Snape is one of the main and most beloved characters in the books, and many have called the decision to cast a black actor for the role unfortunate. It is worth noting that this is not the first such scandal surrounding Harry Potter: in 2016, many criticized the decision to cast a black actress, Noma Dumezweni, who was 45 years old at the time, as Hermione in the play based on the Harry Potter books. At the same time, the author of the Harry Potter books, Joan Rowling, said that she never indicated in the books that Hermione was white. She also faced criticism for this: readers found moments in the books that showed that Hermione was not black.

The new series will retell the story of Harry Potter. Fans of "Harry Potter" can expect seven seasons, each based on one of the books. Warner Bros. Discovery describes the new project as "a decade-long series." J.K. Rowling will also take part in the work on the project.