British actor Paapa Essiedu is in negotiations to play the beloved character of Professor Severus Snape in HBO’s series adaptation of ‘Harry Potter’.

Essiedu broke out with his performance in HBO miniseries ‘I May Destroy You’ in 2020 and later starred in ‘Anne Boleyn’, ‘Gangs of London’, ‘The Lazarus Project’ and ‘Black Mirror’ as well as films like ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and ‘Men’, a PTI report from Los Angeles quoted The Hollywood Reporter as stating.

Sources told American news outlet The Hollywood Reporter that Essiedu is yet to formally accept the role of Snape, which is one of the most pivotal characters from author JK Rowling’s book series and their film adaptations.

Characterised by his sharp wit and sarcastic demeanour, Snape is a complex and multifaceted character who works as a potions master at Hogwarts. He appears to be loyal to Voldemort, while secretly assisting Dumbledore and protecting Harry Potter, his late crush’s son, from him.

The role was famously played by the late Alan Rickman across eight Warner Bros films.

So far, no actors have been officially cast in the Harry Potter series, which is expected to debut in 2026. Earlier, Oscar winner Mark Rylance was in talks to play the role of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

According to the news outlet, the PTI report added, the three leads of the show Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley will likely be newcomers.

Warner Bros launched an open casting call for children aged between 9 and 11 earlier this year. The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved book series by Rowling, who will serve as an executive producer, as per the official logline.

Francesca Gardiner will serve as the showrunner and executive producer on the show. Mark Mylod, known for his work on shows such as ‘The Affair’,‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Succession’, will direct multiple episodes.