Paapa Essiedu is closer than ever to taking on the role of Professor Snape in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series.

Deadline reports that the I May Destroy You star is “closing his deal” to play Professor Snape, the mercurial and snippy Potions professor who seemingly torments Harry Potter and his friends but is actually an undercover agent for the school’s headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, working against the book series’ main villain, Voldemort. Currently, the role of Dumbledore is believed to be going to John Lithgow.

HBO has neither confirmed nor denied the report, telling Deadline, “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as deals are finalized.”

Some fans may, unfortunately, push back against Snape being played by a Black British actor. Others might take issue with the characters’ ages being different from their film portrayals. As showrunner Francesca Gardiner stated last December at a Max event in London, the characters will be their “canonical” ages, which are much younger than how they were portrayed in the films. For instance, Snape will be 31 in the television series, whereas Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Snape was in his 40s or 50s. Janet McTeer, who is in the running to play Professor McGonagall, will also portray a younger version of the character originated by Maggie Smith.

Other rumored castings include Brett Goldstein for Hogwarts’ gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. Currently, there are no rumored castings for the Dursleys, Harry’s Muggle family who despised magic. However, like Snape and McGonagall, the Dursleys will also be younger than their movie counterparts to align with the book’s canon.

As for the main trio—Harry, Hermione, and Ron—Gardiner has previously stated that she and the team behind the series have reviewed over 32,000 audition tapes from unknown child actors hoping to land the coveted roles.