After Harry Potter Setback, Adam Driver Gets Passed Over Again to Succeed Alan Rickman in a New Sequel

Kevin Smith is gearing up to revisit his 1999 lightning-rod comedy Dogma, and he has a surprising plan for the movie's most memorable messenger. No, not Adam Driver. He has someone else in mind to pick up the mantle once carried by the late, great Alan Rickman.

Smith is actually writing Metatron for Helen Mirren

In a new chat with Slash Film, Smith said he is actively shaping a Dogma sequel and has already zeroed in on who he wants as the new embodiment of Metatron, the Voice of God: Helen Mirren. And this isn’t some vague wish list idea — he’s writing the part with her specifically in mind, in a version of Metatron tailored to her presence.

"I want to write it for Helen Mirren. She is incredibly Alan-adjacent."

That phrase isn’t random. Smith has history and emotion wrapped up in this pick. Mirren and Rickman worked together twice in major ways: they co-starred in the 2015 thriller Eye in the Sky, and they played Antony and Cleopatra together on stage in the late 90s. Smith even met Mirren at an Empire Awards ceremony alongside Rickman. So when he started sketching how to bring Metatron back, she clicked — elegance, authority, and a personal link to Rickman that matters to him as a fan and friend.

Wait, is that a gender swap?

Not exactly. Smith was clear he isn’t replacing Rickman’s Metatron with the same character in a different gender. He’s building a new interpretation for this movie — same cosmic job description, new form. Angels are shape-shifters, lore-wise, which gives him cover to honor Rickman without trying to imitate him. In Smith’s words, Mirren wouldn’t be playing Rickman’s Metatron — she’d be playing this movie’s version of Metatron.

So what happened to Adam Driver?

Smith did briefly think about Driver as a spiritual successor — the height, the features, the serious energy — and you can see the Alan Rickman parallels right away. But once Mirren entered the picture, that idea evaporated. Smith wants the performance to carry both weight and a personal connection to Rickman, and Mirren checks both boxes in a way that made the choice feel obvious to him.

And if you’re getting deja vu from fans linking Driver to Rickman-adjacent roles, you’re not alone. When HBO announced its Harry Potter series, the internet promptly fancast Driver as Severus Snape. It didn’t happen, and there’s still no official Driver-as-Snape news. Bottom line: people keep trying to plug Driver into Rickman’s shadow, but Smith’s Dogma sequel isn’t going that route.

Why Mirren makes sense here

This is one of those moves that sounds unexpected until you sit with it. Mirren brings stately composure, razor wit, and that quiet, don't-mess-with-me authority the Metatron role thrives on. She can honor the memory without feeling like an imitation — which is arguably the only respectful way to touch a character Rickman defined.

Dogma 101 (quick refresher)

• Dogma (1999), written and directed by Kevin Smith
• Cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, George Carlin, Alan Rickman
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%
• Runtime: 2h 9m

Where this leaves Dogma 2

Smith says he’s moving forward with fresh ideas, a new angle on Metatron, and a role built with Helen Mirren in mind. No casting announcements yet, but this is the clearest sign so far of what shape the sequel could take — and why it won’t just be a nostalgia echo of the first film.