LONDON — Paapa Essiedu has received death threats over his casting as Professor Severus Snape in the upcoming HBO Max adaptation of the Harry Potter series. The threats include race-fuelled messages targeting the actor.

"I've been told, 'Quit or I'll murder you'," Essiedu told The Sunday Times of London. He said he sees messages on Instagram saying, "I'm going to come to your house and kill you."

"My mum couldn't afford a babysitter in the holidays, so she would take me to the library," Essiedu said in the interview.

The new Harry Potter series is set to launch on HBO Max in 2027, with HBO's series premiering at Christmas 2026. Essiedu has signed onto the series for ten years.

The casting announcement places Essiedu alongside Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. John Lithgow will play Professor Dumbledore, Janet McTeer will play Professor McGonagall, and Nick Frost will play Rubeus Hagrid. Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby play Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, respectively.

Thirty-two thousand children auditioned for the role of Harry Potter. Dominic McLaughlin previously appeared in Sky's comedy Grow. Arabella Stanton played Matilda on the West End stage. Alastair Stout's role as Ron Weasley is his first major acting credit.

Each of J.K. Rowling's seven Harry Potter books will be adapted into its own season said in a media interview. Francesca Gardiner serves as head writer and executive producer, with Mark Mylod directing and executive producing.

Essiedu has appeared in the television series Black Mirror and I May Destroy You. He told The Sunday Times that he never saw the original Harry Potter films but was a fan of the books as a child. He said he will be 45 by the time he finishes the series and could have children by the end of his tenure.

The Harry Potter film series began in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and concluded in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. J.K. Rowling is an executive producer said in a media interview, alongside Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, and David Heyman for Heyday Films. Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. are producing the series.