Matt Rife asks JK Rowling for major role in Harry Potter HBO series

Comedian Matt Rife wants to be cast in the Harry Potter HBO series and asked JK Rowling herself if he could play one of the franchise’s most menacing roles.

The upcoming Harry Potter TV series is currently looking for actors and has put out open casting calls for children to play Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

On September 10, author JK Rowling, who is serving as the show’s executive producer, tweeted a photo of the announcement with the caption, “So, this is happening.”

The tweet drew plenty of excitement from fans, including Elon Musk, who called the upcoming show “exciting,” while others began to plead their cases to join the wizarding world.

One such candidate who emerged was Matt Rife. Fresh off his Netflix special ‘Lucid,’ the viral crowd work comedian asked JK Rowling directly if he could be in the show and knew exactly who he wanted to play.

“Can I play He Who Shall Not Be Named?” Rife asked while including a snake emoji.

Rife was referring to the series’ antagonist, Voldemort, previously played by Ralph Fiennes in the films. While this offer was certainly out of left field, some fans seemed curious about how the comedian would fare if he was indeed chosen for the role.

“You’d be a great Tom Riddle,” one fan replied, referencing Voldemort’s identity before becoming an evil wizard.

“You as a young Tim Riddle wouldn’t be terrible. How’s your British accent?” a fan agreed.

Others argued that Rife would be better off playing a different role, with someone suggesting he’d “make an excellent Dobby.”

“Bro, you’d be a solid sorting hat,” recommended another.

So far, no casting decisions have been made, but given the legacy of Harry Potter and the success of the films, the HBO show is going to have quite a lot to live up to.

Whether or not Matt Rife seriously auditions for the role remains to be seen, especially given the fact he’s in the middle of a major world tour set to last him until the end of 2024.