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[rubik's dude]

God damn it I gave the troll the benefit of the doubt

I'm just concerned about authorial intent. Changing the character's race fundamentally changes their motivation, especially since freeing house elves from slavery is a huge character arc for her.

 

[Just_one]

This is juat dumb. Holy fuck how can you fuck up a reboot of HP this bad?

Fuck this woke bullshit. Im not seeing this fuckin show.

A black snape...welcome to 2025...i think we all deserve to have aliens invade and just terminate humanity all together..

Black snape
Asian gay potter
Mexican hermoine
Blonde depressed ron
Trans luna
Lesbian mcganugal
Male gay ginny

There u go...its the cast of the century

 

[E-Cat]

He's only 34 years old, seems way too young to be Snape.

Snape starts out 31 years old in the books. Sirius Black was also much younger than Gary Oldman, iirc.

 

[SidViscous]

One day AI will let us switch actors on the fly, I’ll rewatch the show in 2050 with David Bowie playing every character

 

[rubik's dude]

Snape starts out 31 years old in the books. Sirius Black was also much younger than Gary Oldman, iirc.

And Alan Rickman was 54 when he played Snape in the first movie. This new actor is much closer in age to book Snape.

 

[Tams]

Snape starts out 31 years old in the books. Sirius Black was also much younger than Gary Oldman, iirc.

And Alan Rickman was 54 when he played Snape in the first movie. This new actor is much closer in age to book Snape.

Age is one of the least concerning matters in regard to playing the character. So long as the actor isn't clearly young or old, they can pass it off.

 

[rubik's dude]

Age is one of the least concerning matters in regard to playing the character. So long as the actor isn't clearly young or old, they can pass it off.

Alan Rickman was closer in age to the actor that played Dumbledore than he was to book Snape in the first movie. I'd qualify that as clearly old.

 

[skneogaf]

White male actors really are under attack, it seems such forced thing that backfires all too often.

Sometimes race swaps are insignificant to the characters like Sam Jackson playing Nick Fury and actually make sense due to Samuel L Jackson making the character stand out but changing the race of a character because of other reasons will never make sense to me.

Surely new characters could have been introduced for the chosen actor if they were really impressed with him.

 

[DeafTourette]

And that reflected the UK in 1997 before we went utterly potty.

I simply don't understand why a British themed book, with British characters, by a British author has to have this race swapping. Very few other cultures would accept this.

If you want a magic universe with mostly black, east asian, arabic, whatever people, then go write it yourself.

So ... The actor isn't British? Neither is Idris Elba? WOW! Didn't know that!

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

So ... The actor isn't British? Neither is Idris Elba? WOW! Didn't know that!

Personally as a huge fan of the books, they should have cast an actor who would look exactly like he was described in the books. Yes Rowling is involved but I'm sorry I want correct casting for characters and not based off his skin color. We shall see how he does but I have never been a fan of race swapping. There are a few exceptions like Samuel L Jackson being Nick Fury in the MCU, but that because Pre Phase 4, he was actually a good character. That's my two cents

Growing up reading the books when they first came out (I was in Highschool and College during that time). Those books always were pretty liberal and always had a diverse cast of character that aren't just white. My main issue is that instead of casting him as Snape, they could have given him a role that was substantial that could come from a different character in the books

 

[DeafTourette]

Not sure if this is a troll or something but The Wiz was legit a good movie! It's a staple in many black households

 

[DeafTourette]

Regarding Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, that wasn't technically a race swap.

In the Ultimate Universe, Nick Fury is black and looks EXACTLY like Samuel L Jackson... The people behind the books wanted him to look like Jackson and got permission IF they could use him in the movies. The Ultimate Universe is SEPARATE from the 616

Also... How are people bringing up REAL people when we're talking about fictional people... WTF?!

 

[jason10mm]

So ... The actor isn't British? Neither is Idris Elba? WOW! Didn't know that!

The issue here is that Snapes mother was from a long standing british wizarding family, so they would, with like 99.9% certainty, be white. Snapes father was a muggle, so there is your opportunity to chose a more contemporary british ethnicity. And then deal with the fact that the dad was really abusive and neglectful. So Snape had an abusive black dad or came from a mythical line of ancient black britons. So much like Wakanda, the ethnicity that makes the most logical sense is just what it is. If we are extrapolating from very minute minorities then yah gotta accept a white or arabic Black Panther as well because Africa has more than sub-saharan Africans. Altering his backstory really messes with his entire character IMHO.

This is true for most of the wizards in the story, they had DEEP roots in England, which is why the cast of that story should feel like old england. Now the pure muggle-born, like Hermione, are the most logical to make a non-white ethnicity, but she is CLEARLY white in the books, which represents about 95% of england in the 1990s setting of the books, and is still like 90% today. It isn't erasing or marginalizing anyone to have a british looking cast for a british show. And despite the BBC doing their best, blacks are only 3% of their population and virtually all of them have come in just the past few decades.

HBO is clearly concerned about the trans-backlash. And they are hoping that a very broad casting will insulate them to some extent. And it's fine, they can spend their millions. But it doesn't prevent criticism about deviating from the source material because there is ALWAYS criticism about that. It's one thing to be very source accurate and it doesn't work, but when you deviate and it doesn't work, well, folks will point out the obvious differences. House of the Dragon, for example, is an easy target due to their odd casting.

It would be a little different if this actor was well known for a very snape like portrayal. Thats why Idris keeps getting floated for Bond, he has done some Bond-like things that people like. Folks can walk John Lithgow to Dumbledore through some of his past roles. It's just the way these casting things go. Heath Leder got flack for being joker because he had no joker like roles, but then his performance shut everyone up. Maybe this guy will be like that. Or their version of Harry Potter is so different that the source material is largely irrelevant.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

In the Ultimate Universe, Nick Fury is black and looks EXACTLY like Samuel L Jackson... The people behind the books wanted him to look like Jackson and got permission IF they could use him in the movies. The Ultimate Universe is SEPARATE from the 616

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Regarding Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, that wasn't technically a race swap.

In the Ultimate Universe, Nick Fury is black and looks EXACTLY like Samuel L Jackson... The people behind the books wanted him to look like Jackson and got permission IF they could use him in the movies. The Ultimate Universe is SEPARATE from the 616

Also... How are people bringing up REAL people when we're talking about fictional people... WTF?!

Oh I am well aware that the MCU Version of Nick Fury is based off the Ultimate Version. I just forgot to add that to my post

 

[DeafTourette]

The issue here is that Snapes mother was from a long standing british wizarding family, so they would, with like 99.9% certainty, be white. Snapes father was a muggle, so there is your opportunity to chose a more contemporary british ethnicity. And then deal with the fact that the dad was really abusive and neglectful. So Snape had an abusive black dad or came from a mythical line of ancient black britons. So much like Wakanda, the ethnicity that makes the most logical sense is just what it is. If we are extrapolating from very minute minorities then yah gotta accept a white or arabic Black Panther as well because Africa has more than sub-saharan Africans. Altering his backstory really messes with his entire character IMHO.

This is true for most of the wizards in the story, they had DEEP roots in England, which is why the cast of that story should feel like old england. Now the pure muggle-born, like Hermione, are the most logical to make a non-white ethnicity, but she is CLEARLY white in the books, which represents about 95% of england in the 1990s setting of the books, and is still like 90% today. It isn't erasing or marginalizing anyone to have a british looking cast for a british show. And despite the BBC doing their best, blacks are only 3% of their population and virtually all of them have come in just the past few decades.

HBO is clearly concerned about the trans-backlash. And they are hoping that a very broad casting will insulate them to some extent. And it's fine, they can spend their millions. But it doesn't prevent criticism about deviating from the source material because there is ALWAYS criticism about that. It's one thing to be very source accurate and it doesn't work, but when you deviate and it doesn't work, well, folks will point out the obvious differences. House of the Dragon, for example, is an easy target due to their odd casting.

It would be a little different if this actor was well known for a very snape like portrayal. Thats why Idris keeps getting floated for Bond, he has done some Bond-like things that people like. Folks can walk John Lithgow to Dumbledore through some of his past roles. It's just the way these casting things go. Heath Leder got flack for being joker because he had no joker like roles, but then his performance shut everyone up. Maybe this guy will be like that. Or their version of Harry Potter is so different that the source material is largely irrelevant.

I only meant exactly what I said. He talked as if there are no black or whatever else British peoples. I'm not arguing for or against this young man playing Snape though I'd prefer a white actor in the role. Even though it's not explicitly written that he HAS to be White, unlike Black Panther where Wakanda wasn't open to everyone or anyone, even amongst the continent. They're a closed society of a few tribes, all sub Saharan African... Long before Arabs (who are phenotypically white) came down there.

 

[nkarafo]

Nah the racism lies in the people dogging on the actor cause he's black.

You are right, surely there isn't a pattern of endless race swapping of previously white casted characters (including historical figures btw) over the last 10 years or so.

 

[DeafTourette]

You are right, surely there isn't a pattern of endless race swapping of previously white casted characters (including historical figures btw) over the last 10 years or so.

You mean like the cast of 21? Rainbird in the OG Firestarter? Gemma in The Girl with all the Gifts? Johnny Depp playing Tonto? Angelina Jolie playing a REAL LIFE person in A Mighty Heart?

Like that?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

You are right, surely there isn't a pattern of endless race swapping of previously white casted characters (including historical figures btw) over the last 10 years or so.

I still think it's hilarious Netflix thought they could turn actual historical previously living human Cleopatra black

Cleopatra was Ptolemaic Greek, she was the whitest white woman who could possibly have ruled over the last vestiges of ancient Egypt

The Egyptians weren't black either, they looked pretty much exactly the same back then as they do today. Genetic analysis of the many mummies which have been recovered have demonstrated the ancient Egyptians are genetically basically identical to modern Egyptians

 

[nkarafo]

You mean like the cast of 21? Rainbird in the OG Firestarter? Gemma in The Girl with all the Gifts? Johnny Depp playing Tonto? Angelina Jolie playing a REAL LIFE person in A Mighty Heart?

Like that?

Not the same thing because they at least tried to make Angelina's character look like the real life person. It's a honest case of choosing the right actor (meaning she is talented but also has a big name for filling the seats) while still respecting the real life person.

Same goes for Johnny Depp. Again, big name for the profits and he plays a native American person the way they supposed to look. It's not like he plays a white character and tries to pass the idea that native Americans where white.

Can't comment on the other movies because i'm not familiar with them but at least these two are classic examples of the right actors (talent and name) playing a role the right way (look and act like they supposed to). It doesn't matter if they are white because they still look like they should on screen, behind all the make up and have the talent to portray those characters and their names can (potentially) fill the seats.

Blackwashing Cleopatra or Anne Boleyn they way they did, using no name bargain bin actors and even trying to pass the idea Cleopatra was black in real life, is not the same thing at all.


Now, in the case of fictional characters, i don't give a shit about Harry Potter. But even i understand that when some things become successful enough, they also become iconic. The characters in the Harry Potter movies have become iconic. When you change something iconic it's natural people are going to complain. It's not about racism, it's about changing something familiar and successful for no good reason.

And yes, there is no good reason to choose this actor. Does he look like that book description or drawing? No. Is he a big name? No. Does he look even remotely close to the iconic Snape movie version? Hell no. And sure, the original actor isn't here anymore but they don't need to make the character look that different. Is he talented? Maybe, but i HIGHLY DOUBT that's the sole reason they want to do such a big change they are sure it's going to upset so many people and probably cause the project to fail.

So yeah, it's not the fans who are obsessed with race in this case, it's the other way around. The people who decided to cast this actor are the ones obsessed with race. So obsessed they don't even care about the project's success and longevity, their check boxing agenda and virtue signaling is what matters to them (plus, they are most likely funded by some DEI program so there's that too).

 

[Soodanim]

Not sure if this is a troll or something but The Wiz was legit a good movie! It's a staple in many black households

I think this thread has nearly run its course, so I’m just going to ease on down the road

 

[DeafTourette]

I think this thread has nearly run its course, so I’m just going to ease on down the road

Huh?

 

[Soodanim]

Huh?

DT I'm disappointed mate

 

[Haint]

DT I'm disappointed mate

He done been found out, he ain't even black.

 

[nkarafo]

He done been found out, he ain't even black.

Doesn't matter, he is perpetually offended on their behalf according to his tag.

 

[Pegasus Actual]

Snape Doggy Dogg and Dr Dumble Dre is at the door

Ran it by Grok and god dammit it would totally work.

 

[ClanOfNone]

Ran it by Grok and god dammit it would totally work.

Shoulda been holding a big doobie.

And gods, those hands and fingers…..

 

[DeafTourette]

DT I'm disappointed mate

I got the reference... I just didn't understand why the thread ran its course

 

[Tams]

Alan Rickman was closer in age to the actor that played Dumbledore than he was to book Snape in the first movie. I'd qualify that as clearly old.

Alan Rickman did not look like an old man in the first film, nor any of them really.

You haven't come out and said he did because you know he didn't look old. So instead you've just obfuscated and put out a meanings fact.

 

[0neAnd0nly]

You mean like the cast of 21? Rainbird in the OG Firestarter? Gemma in The Girl with all the Gifts? Johnny Depp playing Tonto? Angelina Jolie playing a REAL LIFE person in A Mighty Heart?

Like that?

Can you give any examples not older than a ~ decade or more?

Not a combative response, genuinely curious.

 

[KyoZz]

 

[Tams]

So ... The actor isn't British? Neither is Idris Elba? WOW! Didn't know that!

Considering most of the UK population is white and the black population isn't even in double figures, the odds of a character not being white are vanishinly small.

Then you have the limited description of Snape in the books which mean he simply can't have dark skin.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Considering most of the UK population is white and the black population isn't even in double figures, the odds of a character not being white are vanishinly small.

Then you have the limited description of Snape in the books which mean he simply can't have dark skin.

Overrepresentation of black folks in media has been there for decades, but really amped up since Floyd.

Canada's black population is literally about 4.5%, but probably 30-40% of TV commercials suddenly now have black actors the past 5 years. It's like everything changed on a dime. You can tell how DEI-ish they are. There's way more Asian and Indian people in Canada, and given the growth rates of Middle Eastern people coming here, they will overtake the Black population too. But in media, there's hardly any. In Canada, Latinos are less than 2%, so it makes sense you dont bump into many Latino folks on an everyday basis or see them in media.

But at least for TV ads, there's no precedent. Its a ton of one off ads promoting a product and service. They can pick whomever they want.

But for TV and movies which have legacy characters, changing them up race swapping or gender swapping (often times from a white guy to either a black guy or a female), it's again obviously such a DEI decision. Funny how they almost never pick a Latino, Asian, Indian or Native Indian guy to replace the white guy.

Video game race/gender swapping is similar too.

 

[Toons]

Zero interest im HP. Im just here to read comments.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

My pick would’ve been Richard Harmon.

That would have been my pick too

 

[rubik's dude]

obfuscated

Pointing out that Rickman was closer in age to the oldest actor on set rather than the character he's supposed to be playing is obfuscating facts?

And we're supposed to believe this is a 31 year old? Now who's trolling lmao.

At least the TV show is off on the right foot by casting someone who's the appropriate age.

 

[DeafTourette]

He done been found out, he ain't even black.

I'm black

 

[Toons]

And that reflected the UK in 1997 before we went utterly potty.

I simply don't understand why a British themed book, with British characters, by a British author has to have this race swapping. Very few other cultures would accept this.

Cmon man.

If you want a magic universe with mostly black, east asian, arabic, whatever people, then go write it yourself.

Or... JK, who we know is an executive producer on this series, is going to cast whoever tf she wants to cast for the characters SHE introduced to the world? That seems fair.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Cmon man.



Or... JK, who we know is an executive producer on this series, is going to cast whoever tf she wants to cast for the characters SHE introduced to the world? That seems fair.

I'm keeping an open mind due to J K Rowling being heavily involved. I might not be a fan of the Snape casting but I'm willing to give the show a chance

 

[jason10mm]

I'm black

I'm assuming you are coming back from church but you rocking that tie and sweater makes me want you to do a Mr. Rodgers show

 

[Fbh]

Lol of course. And it's only the beginning.

If they actually cared for diversity why not adapt cool stuff that has more diverse casts?.

The Broken Earth trilogy is an awesome award winning books series by a black author featuring a middle aged black woman as the main character, with a black gay dude and a trans woman in major secondary roles.

The Way of Kings is a super popular fantasy novel where a large percentage of the main cast has darker skin.

But no, let's race swap established characters in a franchise that has already been mailked to death.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I'm black

 

[jason10mm]

Lol of course. And it's only the beginning.

If they actually cared for diversity why not adapt cool stuff that has more diverse casts?.

This I think is the core of the problem. Hollywood is to risk adverse to try new IPs but they think the 'old' IPs won't work with today's audiences.

There are plenty of IPs with the casting Hollywood "wants". Hell, almost all the YA stuff made today is written with this stuff in mind. No character has a specific description, it's all kinda generic so anyone can be inserted. But at least thats how it's created.

 

[DeafTourette]

If you want something new that has POC in it and is a POC story written by POC (specifically black), check out a new series airing on Max/cartoon Network soon called Iyanu.

 

[nkarafo]

It's always fascinating to me when i see people so obsessed with their own race.

 

[PSYGN]

Anyone else not care about this?

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Anyone else not care about this?

Hearing about who they are casting for Snape has really dampened my excitement. I'm on a wait and see now since J K Rowling is still heavily involved. If they cast Hermonie as a black actress or any other non white actress than I'll be out, same with Ron. Sorry I want my correct casting choice and I'm saying this as a HUGE fan of the books

 

[Neolombax]

Who else thought Paapa Essiedu was the main guy from the band Ghost?

I kept having the image of Papa Midnite from Constantine.

Anyhow, odd casting choice. Its the same as casting Matthew McConaughey as Black Panther.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I didn't even think of this. The way Snape treats Harry all the way until the very end of the books is going to have to be entirely changed for the show

I still can't believe JK Rowling is OK with this. She has been completely silent about it BTW

 

[GymWolf]

Are they gonna turn Ron into a tyRone aswell?