Harry Potter TV Reboot Should Cast This Ted Lasso Star as Snape ASAP

Look, everyone knows that the Harry Potter movies were, if nothing else, perfectly cast. We can't think of anyone else but Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, or even Helena Bonham Carter as Beatrix Lestrange. But with the announcement that a new Harry Potter series is in the works, fans are gearing up to see new faces in the roles. So they're starting to publicly fancast their favorite actors.

In particular, there's one actor we'd love to see play Severus Snape in the new series, replacing the late Alan Rickman in his most iconic role: His name is James Lance.

Not sure who that is? You might know him better from his recent role in Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso. He played Trent Crimm, the Independent. After entering the show as Lasso's most critical member of the media, he ended up becoming a close ally. In Season 3, he joined the ranks of the Richmond AFC while doing research for his book about the team. Eventually, he was even granted membership to the Diamond Dogs.

The actor behind Trent, James Lance, was born in Hampshire, England, about an hour and a half from Rickman's hometown of London. When the new Harry Potter series is released, Lance will be 50 years old, only five years younger than Rickman was when he first played Snape.

More important than the basic similarities between the actors, Lance has the right style to thrive in the role. Early in the first season of Ted Lasso, Trent Crimm struck fear into everyone when he walked into a room. His snide, derisive comments during media availabilities made every member of AFC Richmond squirm. But as viewers delved deeper into Crimm's personality, they realized he was a deep-thinking, kind-hearted person with a deep capacity for love. Sounds a little like Snape, right?

In scenes where he was a cocky antagonist, Lance thrived as Crimm. When he became one of the series' main protagonists, Lance thrived as well. And in neither situation did it feel out of place or forced. These are the very qualities that made Rickman an icon as Snape.

Lance has had a long, steady career, mostly appearing in UK-based projects, most notably a Season 2 episode of Black Mirror. In 2022, he was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Trent Crimm.

While we'll all miss Alan Rickman as Snape, everything about Lance's style, look, and career trajectory points to him being the perfect replacement.

Details on the new series are scarce. No casting has been done yet, but it will likely be released in 2025 or 2026, exclusively on Max.