HBO’s Harry Potter was already drawing attention for all the wrong reasons before the first official trailer arrived last week. But things recently took a pretty dark turn.
The new series adapts J. K. Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, across eight episodes, with Francesca Gardiner serving as showrunner and executive producers including Rowling, David Heyman, and Neil Blair. HBO’s Harry Potter will run for seven seasons — each one dedicated to one of Rowling’s novels — over a 10-year period.
Now, the first official trailer, which premiered last week on March 25, offers fans their first proper glimpse of the brand-new wizarding world and its all-new cast. Watch it below:
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Leading the extensive ensemble cast are Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton, who play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, respectively.
However, it’s fair to say that fans have been most eager to see the new Severus Snape played by Paapa Essiedu (Gangs of London, I May Destroy You, Black Mirror).
In the trailer, Snape is seen with his wand raised in a shadowy corridor.
Essiedu steps into a role famously portrayed by Alan Rickman in the Harry Potter films. While there have been many criticisms since the actor was announced last year, reactions have only intensified since the trailer premiered.
Some fans are understandably disappointed that the new series has abandoned the character’s description in the books, but other responses have included racist attacks.
Ahead of the trailer’s premiere last week, Essiedu told The Times that he has received death threats and abuse online, saying, “If I look at Instagram, I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you.’”
Beyond the change in ethnicity, it seems the series is leaning in a slightly different direction for the character. An image recently shared by HBO shows Snape in a zip-up jacket — which is a departure from his usual attire. While his long, flowing black cape is still there, we may finally be getting a version of the character that aligns more closely with the books in terms of age.
Alan Rickman was in his 50s when he was cast in the films, but in the books, Snape is in his early 30s, having been in the same school year as Harry’s parents, James and Lily Potter. Paapa Essiedu, however, is in his mid-30s.
In a recent interview with Esquire, Essiedu also revealed how there’s a scene in the first season where Snape flies a broom — something not explicitly described in the books — while admitting that he has never seen the films, which gave him the freedom to explore the character in new ways that diverge from Rickman’s iconic portrayal.
The supporting cast for the new series is unsurprisingly extensive. It also includes Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander, with Warwick Davis reprising Filius Flitwick.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will premiere on HBO on Christmas 2026.
What do you think about Paapa Essiedu being cast as Snape? Do you like the official trailer? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
