Alan Rickman Takes Shot at David Yates from the Grave Over Snape Character

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I don’t think anyone expected that we’d come into the week discussing a feud between Alan Rickman and David Yates, particularly since the former died two years ago from pancreatic cancer, but that’s exactly what’s happened.

In a recent auction at the ABA Rare Book Fair in London, a series of personal notes and letters from Alan Rickman (who died in 2016) were sold for a hefty price.

Among the valuables were a Die Hard script with notes, diaries, and, of course, correspondence between Rickman and member of the Harry Potter team.

https://twitter.com/AlembicBooks/status/999658002801201158

In a note titled “Inside Snape’s Head,” Alan Rickman vented his frustrations about the direction of his character, the deeply complex Severus Snape, in the fifth movie of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

“It’s as if David Yates has decided that this is not important in the scheme of things i.e. teen audience appeal.”

I’m sure David Yates knew that Alan Rickman had issues with the movie. It was the pivotal film for the character, the one that would set the stage for his redemption in the following film, which is one of the most iconic moments in the entire series.

I feel safe in saying that Rickman approached Yates about his concerns. It was a character that he portrayed for almost a full decade over the course of eight films. It would be his lasting legacy.

But things all worked out in the end, and the movies were monumental successes, both commercially and critically. They’re beloved now.

So, imagine David Yates’ thoughts when these letters came to light and his quiet conversations were put out into the loud, bright world.

That’s a shitty start to the week, right?

Still, with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald coming out later this year, along with the three announced sequels to follow, Yates has enough on his plate to be worried (and thrilled) about.

And it could have been a lot worse. It could have been a Cheever Letters situation.

We were all blessed with just a little more Alan Rickman, even if it was just a passing anecdote.