Hermione Granger has already been at the center of a casting controversy once — and it looks like she may be again.
As HBO continues to roll out casting for its upcoming Harry Potter reboot, it’s likely that Hermione will once again be played by an actor of color. Warner Bros. has not confirmed any casting for the main trio yet (which includes Harry Potter and Ron Weasley), but the series has already cast Black Mirror’s Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape — a move that has reignited long-standing tensions within the fandom.
While some are embracing the idea of a more inclusive Wizarding World, others are voicing familiar frustrations. Many fans remember the backlash when South African-British actress Noma Dumezweni took on the role of Hermione in the 2016 West End stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. That decision prompted J.K. Rowling herself to inform readers that Hermione’s race was never specified in the books.
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Now, nearly a decade later, that debate has returned. Essiedu’s casting alone suggests that HBO and Warner Bros. are willing to recast the franchise’s most iconic characters without being bound by their previous on-screen or in-book ethnicities — and rightly so.
Still, there’s a vocal minority that isn’t prepared to let go of the original cast. For many, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint’s portrayals remain definitive. And any deviation — especially one perceived as politically motivated — is met with pushback.
But this isn’t just about Hermione. With Warner Bros. having reportedly said that it’s making a “concerted effort” to diversify the new series’ cast, it’s likely that more roles will be reinterpreted in ways that diverge from the films.
For now, only six actors have been confirmed, but given the amount of characters occupying the Wizarding World, it would be wise to expect many more names to fly out of the Triwizard Cup in the coming weeks and months as production gets underway.
Do you think Hermione Granger will be played by an actor of color in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series? Let us know in the comments down below!
