Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I don’t know what it is about this one, but it is my absolute favorite of all of the movies. I also know that I’m not alone in this, as several other people have claimed this one as their own personal favorite as well. Perhaps it is Alfonso Cuaron’s directorial presence that shifted the tonal balance of the series completely, or John Williams’ sudden heel-turn of a score. Whatever the case, the tone of this film is dark – much darker than the previous two – which is exactly what needed to happen at this point in the story.
This film is shrouded in uncertainty, mystery, angst and drama, and it gives off the same feeling that one might feel in the last quarter of an NFL game – the feeling that we are leading up to something big, we just aren’t sure what it is yet. That is the exact feeling viewers SHOULD have during this particular season in the series, and that is what I’m going to try and emulate with my casting choices below!
Cornelius Fudge: Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito is a lot like Ben Mendelsohn, whom I chose to play Lucius Malfoy. In every role I’ve seen him in, Esposito has an eerily calm demeanor while acting as some kind of enforcer or lawman. This is something that I personally feel the original performance of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was lacking.
The original portrayal of Fudge was almost cartoonish, which makes sense given that this is a story told from the perspective of a newly 13 year old boy; however, this is not the tone we’re going for with an HBO reboot. Throughout the rest of the series, Cornelius Fudge will slowly become an arch enemy of Professor Dumbledore and Harry, and I think that we need somebody wholly intimidating. As an actor, Giancarlo Esposito is a really interesting person to watch, and I would be very excited to see the kind of chilling edge he could bring to the character.
Professor Lupin: Richard Madden
Professor Lupin is one of the most important characters in the series, and he is also one of the most beloved characters as well. As the first real connection that Harry has with his parents, Richard Madden will have quite a job to undertake – but I think he is the perfect person for that job.
I gave this one a lot of thought and debated whether or not to actually put Sam Rockwell here, but in the end, I decided that I was allowed to be picky and choose actors who actually fit the ages of their characters. Professor Lupin was one of James Potter’s best friends growing up, and through his relationship with Harry, he is able to provide him with a window into his father’s life. At this point in the story, he is the same age as Professor Snape (Adam Driver in my previous casting list), so I thought it would only make sense to choose a great actor who is around Driver’s age.
Richard Madden is best known for his work on Game of Thrones (2011), The Bodyguard (2019), and Rocketman (2019). I’ve seen almost his entire filmography at this point, and with his dramatic talent and boyish charm, I think that Madden would be an excellent fit for Harry’s mentor this season.
Professor Trelawney: Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson recently came to my attention after watching Netflix’s original series, Sex Education (2019), because she has a voice that reminds me exactly of Professor Trelawney. As soon as I googled it and figured out that she wasn’t Emma Thompson, I thought she would be perfect to play Trelawney.
Outside of the voice aspect, which is surprisingly important for this role, Gillian Anderson has a unique ability to be effortlessly hilarious. And while Trelawney is definitely a comedic character, she is also quite important even though she doesn’t show up in the series very often. Over the course of the series, Professor Trelawney is revealed to have made prophecies in the past that have altered the course of events, as well as actually predicting a lot of crucial events that occur seasons down the road. Anderson is a talented actress, having worked in both comedy and drama, and I feel that she would be able to bring this smaller character into more prominence.
Sirius Black: Ben Barnes
You may know Ben Barnes as that guy who was abandoned in the desert naked in Westworld (2016), or you may even recognize him as the gallant Prince Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008). I first came across Ben Barnes when I saw Westworld, and I was honestly captivated by him every time he was onscreen. Not just because he’s hot (but that definitely is a factor, I’m not going to lie), but because his acting pulled me into his character. Watch this scene from Westworld and tell me that this guy can’t act like a crazy person.
Though Sirius Black is fresh out of Azkaban and a little bit deranged in this particular installment of the series, in the following seasons Sirius becomes Harry’s new parental figure – and the most important person in his life. While Professor Lupin was a friend of Harry’s father, Sirius was truly James’ best friend in the world. Therefore, Ben Barnes would have to do a lot of emotional and heavy acting, which he is more than capable of.
Ben Barnes is also a relatively unknown actor, so I think he would be a refreshing and unpredictable choice for the role of Sirius.
Peter Pettigrew: Paul Dano
Paul Dano is best known for There Will Be Blood (2007), as well as Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Swiss Army Man (2016). He has one of those faces that stick with you, and his performances stick with you just as effectively. Dano is one of the most emotional actors I’ve ever seen, and I think he would be perfect for the role of the spineless and deranged Peter Pettigrew.
Peter Pettigrew is the person who turned Harry’s parents in to Voldemort on the night that they were killed, betraying James Potter as well as Lupin and Sirius. On the night that all is revealed in the third season, Dano would be a really exciting person to see in this role. In the original portrayal, the viewer can see within seconds how insecure and cowardly Pettigrew is as a character. I think it’s important to have a convincing actor in that role because in Pettigrew’s one scene in this season, the audience is made to hate him immediately. Therefore, Paul Dano seems like an exciting choice to play the notorious coward who hid as a rat for 12 years.
Looking ahead: CASTING SEASON FOUR
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite installment in the Harry Potter series, however the series doesn’t become truly dark until the next one. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry comes face to face with Voldemort in the flesh in what becomes the cornerstone of the series. The fourth season’s casting will be exciting due to the scale of the story – with new characters from all over the world, dragons, mermaids and sphinxes!
Makenzie's Film Blog 