The Actor Who Almost Replaced Alan Rickman as Snape Can Still Shine in HBO's Harry Potter
Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Severus Snape was nothing short of iconic, but he wasn’t the first choice for the part — and that actor can still make a comeback.
Summary:
- Before Alan Rickman, Warner Bros. approached Tim Roth about the part of Severus Snape in the movies.
- In the upcoming HBO series, Roth could finally pick up the wand, but perhaps as a different character.
- Since we’re expecting HBO to cast age-appropriate actors this time, Tim Roth could become the perfect new Barty Crouch Sr. or Alastor Moody.
Casting actors for a series as beloved and popular as Harry Potter is always difficult and scary; even more so today that the original movies have become golden classics on their own. But the upcoming HBO TV show will have to cross that bridge one day, and they can definitely take a page from Warner Bros.’s initial casting decisions.
Because believe it or not, Alan Rickman wasn’t the first choice for Snape, and the “original” actor would definitely shine in the HBO reboot if given a chance.
Alan Rickman Wasn’t the First Choice for Shape
Today, we cherish Alan Rickman’s Severus Snape: while very distinct from the books’ vision, he’s a fantastic and immensely tragic character throughout the movies. Rickman’s personal choices added depth and humor to the movies’ Snape, and Potterheads love him for it… But Rickman almost didn’t get his iconic role.
Warner Bros. initially wanted Tim Roth to play Severus Snape, but something went wrong and the actor refused the offer. Tim Roth’s Snape would have been very different: the actor is known for his intimidating portrayals, and has played pathetic characters before. His Snape would have likely been more book-ish, against Alan Rickman’s more noble and dignified vision of the character.
Tim Roth Can Still Shine in HBO’s Harry Potter
Oh so many years later, Harry Potter is back to the drawing board as HBO develops a new TV show. Once again, casting is an issue, and an even bigger one than before; but HBO knows how to tackle that. If they stay true to themselves, they’ll want to throw in some big-name star — and that’s when Tim Roth could shine.
Should the upcoming series choose to keep up Warner Bros.’s (frustrating) concept of making adult characters older than they were in the books, fans see Tim Roth as the new Remus Lupin — or even Severus Snape, after all this time.
But if HBO makes the right call and matches character ages, we can see other parts for him.
In our humble opinion, Tim Roth’s intimidating and harsh appearance would make him the perfect Barty Crouch Sr. or Alastor Moody. But to be honest, we’d just be happy to see the actor in the upcoming TV show.