In May, Essiedu and over 400 others in the film industry, including Fantastic Beasts' Eddie Redmayne, signed an open letter condemning the U.K. Supreme Court for ruling that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex and that transgender women are not included within that legal definition.

Paapa – known for his work in I May Destroy You, Anne Boleyn, The Lazarus Project and The Capture – is the first Black actor to play Snape in a major Harry Potter production (the character was previously portrayed by Alan Rickman in the original films, and the likes of Paul Bentall and Byron Jennings in the play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.

Isaac’s part of Lucius will be played by Johnny Flynn, while Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby play the Dursleys. Finally, Molly Weasley will be portrayed by Katherine Parkinson, and Cornelius Fudge will be played by Bertie Carvel.