Jason Isaacs, remembered as Lucius Malfoy, used a FanExpo Denver panel to rebuke “Potter” devotees who attacked Paapa Essiedu’s casting as Severus Snape in Max’s forthcoming Harry Potter series, calling the online pile-on “plainly racist.” He praised Essiedu as “one of the best actors I’ve ever seen” and predicted detractors would “swallow their words” once footage emerges.
Essiedu, known for I May Destroy You and The Lazarus Project, was confirmed for the role in March when the decade-long adaptation began principal photography under showrunner Francesca Gardiner, targeting a 2026 premiere on Max. The announcement triggered a subset of viewers who argued that replacing Alan Rickman with a Black performer violated “authenticity”; Isaacs countered that the franchise “has always been about embracing difference.”
Industry observers note the uproar echoes recent disputes over inclusive casting in high-profile fantasy reboots, with scholars stressing that fictional worlds are not bound by historical demographics. Social-media watchdogs have documented coordinated campaigns amplifying negative sentiment, while fan groups supporting Essiedu have launched hashtags celebrating a “fresh reading” of Snape’s bitterness and complexity.
Max has not commented on the backlash, and J.K. Rowling has stayed silent on Essiedu’s selection, focusing instead on script consultations, according to production insiders. Cast colleagues reported a supportive set environment; Isaacs said he visited during rehearsal and witnessed Essiedu “own the room” with a stillness reminiscent of Rickman while adding “a haunted edge all his own.”
The eight-episode first season adapts Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; sources close to the writers’ room describe an emphasis on character nuance over spectacle, aiming to justify recasting by deepening perspectives left unexplored in the films.
