JK Rowling has given ‘Harry Potter’ fans an early Christmas present, naming Jamie Parker, Noma Dumezweni and Paul Thornley as the lead cast members of the upcoming play ‘The Cursed Child’.
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However, while most fans are understandably delighted that a trio of experienced stage actors are taking on the huge task of playing older versions of the much-loved characters, some Twitter users have got themselves in a right old tizz over the fact Noma, a black actress, is portraying Hermione Granger.
Jamie Parker, Noma Dumezweni and Paul Thornley
Y’know, because *obviously* the casting director should have found a star, who looks as much like Emma Watson as possible.
Tweets include:
Despite the protestations that JK Rowling created a white character, at no point in the books does the author explicitly state Hermione’s ethnicity.
As Buzzfeed points out, the closest Jo comes to doing so is in ‘Prisoner Of Azkaban’, when she writes:
“They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor — Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him.”
Thankfully, most people have been far more sensible (and excited):
‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ will run as two separate plays, arriving in the West End next year.
The project will pick up where the final book left off, exploring what Harry, Ron and Hermione are up to as adults.
Find out more information, including how to get tickets, here.
