-OPINION-
I thought we were done with this by now. If you’ve been paying attention to the entertainment news lately, you’ve probably seen the buzz surrounding the latest development in the Harry Potter universe: the race-swap of Severus Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter television series on HBO. Severus Snape. The complex and iconic character, is now being re-imagined by the studios with a race swap that makes no sense whatsoever, considering the character’s deeply embedded role in the books and films. And yet, here we are again, as Hollywood continues to inject identity politics into everything we love.
If you’re wondering, “Why does this keep happening?” — congratulations, you’re asking the right question. Unfortunately, the people in charge of our entertainment aren’t. They’re too busy chasing fake internet brownie points from Twitter mobs and DEI consultants who don’t actually buy tickets to these movies. So, let’s talk about it.
This isn’t the first time Hollywood has decided that the “traditional” depiction of a character, based on the source material, needs to be altered. This follows in the footsteps of other controversial choices, like Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid and, most recently, Rachel Zegler as Snow White in the live-action remake. Both movies flopped. So, with that common knowledge, why do studios keep thinking this is a good idea?
Let’s also make one thing clear: I’m all for good acting. I genuinely don’t care what colour someone is if they embody the role. Paapa Essiedu is the man set to portray Snape, and I’m sure he’s a talented actor, but - this isn’t about talent. This is about ideology. It’s about rewriting existing cultural touchstones to force a narrative that we didn’t ask for.
Snape is a deeply complex character: he’s dark, tortured, mysterious, and yes, very much a pale, greasy-haired English guy with an axe to grind. That doesn’t mean only white people can be bitter professors — but it does mean that his story, his background, and his visual identity are all deeply rooted in how we experienced him in both the books and the previous films. Changing that fundamentally alters the vibe, and fans are right to feel thrown off.
But, here’s the worst part - this completely redefines his character. In the book, Harry doesn’t trust Snape at all because he was suspicious of him and just had a bad feeling. With these filmmakers making Snape black, this seems like a racism backstory. It’s ridiculous since this isn’t Snape. And, no matter what, even if it wasn’t their intention, it will come across that Snape is facing racism and that Harry Potter is racist which isn’t the story J.K. Rowling was trying to tell.
But, real quick, before we continue, let’s take a trip down memory lane, first.
As I mentioned before, we all remember The Little Mermaid race-swap. Disney turned Ariel into a black mermaid in a film that felt more like a diversity checkbox exercise than a celebration of childhood nostalgia. The movie made a decent opening, then dropped like a stone. Audiences were “meh,” and despite the media trying to gaslight us into thinking anyone who didn’t love it was a racist, the truth was clear: it just wasn’t that good.
Then there was Snow White which came out earlier this year. I didn’t cover this when all of the drama happened as I’m sure the majority of people were hearing this story everywhere they turned so, I just didn’t bother. But, it’s one of the most ridiculous examples of this race-swapping phenomena. A Latina Snow White played by Rachel Zegler, who also made it her mission to insult the original film, insert her own political beliefs into the promotion of the film, and disrespect the film’s fans. The film itself a “feminist girl-boss” plot makeover, and no actual seven dwarfs. The film became a PR disaster, got pushed back multiple times, and, when it finally limped into theatres, it flopped big time.
This isn’t a coincidence. Audiences don’t want preachy remakes. We want good stories — not lectures disguised as entertainment.
And, here’s the reality: race-swapping characters doesn’t create diversity — it eliminates it and with it, authenticity. It says to minority actors, “You can’t have your own stories, so here’s a leftover one we’ll repackage for you.” That’s not representation. That’s virtue-signaling. It’s insulting, honestly. I mean, I would be!
Just think about it: Black Panther wasn’t a race-swapped Iron Man. Moana wasn’t some Hawaiian Elsa. They were original, culturally grounded characters that resonated. That’s why people actually enjoyed those movies and liked those characters: they were new! If Hollywood actually cared about inclusivity, they’d invest in more of that — not remixes of characters who were created in entirely different contexts.
But no. That takes effort. And risk. And, you know, storytelling. Something that we’re lacking as of right now. Instead, studios lean on identity politics as a crutch — and when audiences push back, they call it racism. It’s predictable, it’s lazy, and it’s not working anymore.
And if these decisions keep flopping, why does it keep happening? Because Hollywood is in a parasitic relationship with social media. These casting choices aren’t about box office success — they’re about optics. They’re about Vanity Fair profiles and “first-ever Black [insert role here]” headlines. They’re made for applause from blue-check journalists, not for people it should be made for: moviegoers.
But, spoiler alert: Twitter applause doesn’t pay the bills. And as box office numbers continue to fall flat, studio executives might finally be forced to remember who their actual audience is.
This isn’t about gatekeeping, and it’s not about race. It’s about preserving cultural consistency and respecting the stories we grew up with. If you want more representation, make new stories. Don’t Frankenstein old ones with identity politics and expect us to clap like trained seals. The new Snow White failed for a reason.
But, the casting of a black Snape is just the latest example of a deeper issue: modern Hollywood’s addiction to superficial progressivism at the expense of substance. They’re not making movies for fans anymore. They’re making them for think-pieces from mainstream outlets. And people are over it. If these filmmakers actually care about diversity and real representation - stop race-swapping, start innovating — and tell a story worth watching unfold. Then, maybe we’ll buy tickets to your movies.