'Harry Potter' TV series reveals cast list but fans are not happy with Snape's casting: 'He didn't give...'
It's just a matter of time before the highly anticipated HBO Max television series adaptation of 'Harry Potter' marks its arrival. The network recently confirmed the release date of the upcoming show, which will premiere this Christmas. HBO further released a teaser trailer, presenting a first look at some of the confirmed cast members and the revamped Hogwarts. The brand-new show is supposed to adapt a single J.K. Rowling book per season, thus leaving ample room for the character arcs and subplots that couldn't make it into the previously released film series. Despite overwhelming approval, certain casting choices continue to draw backlash from franchise fans.
Taking to the r/Television subreddit, several users criticised the uninspired casting choices that threatened to make the upcoming series drab and uninteresting. One user pointed out the repetitive nature of the franchise with the comment, "It just feels so weird. There have been tons of remakes and reboots in my lifetime, but I can’t think of one that looks quite so… uncanny. Like, the Harry Potter world is so distinct and iconic that it feels weird just redoing the story with what looks like even the same shots as the originals. It’s like they’ve literally just plastered new actors over the original." Another user wrote, "My take on this is it feels colder. The movies had a 'warmth' to them."
A third user quipped, referring to the backlash received by the show in place of Paapa Essiedu's casting as Severus Snape, "I’m sure a lot of people will complain about Snape but Frost seems terribly miscast as Hagrid. His voice and mannerisms just felt off. He didn’t give off a fearless giant that can handle any sort of magical creature. Hagrid is a gentle giant but still." A fourth user lamented, "Generally speaking, it will be very difficult to compete with the top-notch cast of the original films. Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, and so on. Harry Potter was a grand reunion of Britain's best actors. Those are no small shoes to fill."
In other news, HBO Max has finally confirmed the majority of the cast. As of this writing, young actor Dominic McLaughlin will play the character of Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton's Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout's Ron Weasley. On the other hand, John Lithgow will be seen as Alex Dumbledore, Essiedu as Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, and Oscar-nominated actress Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall. Paul Whitehouse will play the recurring character of Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, alongside Luke Thallon, who will be seen as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Quirinus Quirrell. The characters of Petunia and Vernon Dursley will be played by Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby, respectively. The other members of the cast include Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick, Sirine Saba as Professor Sprout, Elijah Oshin as Dean Thomas, Finn Stephens as Vincent Crabbe, William Nash as Gregory Goyle, Bríd Brennan as Madam Pomfrey, Richard Durden as Cuthbert Binns, and Leigh Gill as Griphook.
