Lately, the Harry Potter world has been… a little chaotic.

Sure, there’s been plenty of exciting news — a brand new HBO series in the works, major casting announcements, and the promise of finally getting a longer, more detailed adaptation of the books.

But not all of the news has been met with open arms.

And one casting decision in particular — the choice for Snape — has been all over my news feed for months, seemingly sparking nonstop debate and dividing the fandom in a way I haven’t seen in years. 

And here’s the thing: it’s not a standalone issue. People don’t have a problem with Essiedu as a person or as an actor, they have a problem with how HBO have chosen to conduct business..Advertising a show as a book-faithful, and then turning their back on this claim the second casting starts.

With filming just around the corner, today I’m breaking down the good, the bad, and the ugly — and making the case for why this series may (or may not) be redeemable.

Let’s dive in to it.

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