The official site for the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play revealed the stars cast in the lead roles on Sunday night. In a move that veers away from the film version, the production cast a black actress, Noma Dumezweni, in the role of Hermione Granger. 

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Dumezweni, an award-winning actress from Swaziland, will star in the play alongside Jamie Parker as Harry and Paul Thornley as Ron. As the news spread, Dumezweni tweeted a tongue-in-cheek emoji-filled nod to the sudden burst of attention she was getting. 

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The play is the eighth Harry Potter story (based on an original story from J.K. Rowling) and features a grown-up Harry, Hermione, and Ron:

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Many writers, fans, and critics have stated their beliefs that Hermione's character isn't necessarily white (there's very little mention of her skin color in J.K. Rowling's books and even the meaning behind some of those lines is often disputed). In a powerful article for BuzzFeed, Alanna Bennett wrote about the frequent appearance of Hermione as a black woman on fan art sites and how some women of color identified with Hermione and her struggles facing discrimination as a Muggle. 

As for Rowling, she is thrilled with everything. "I'm so excited with the choice of casting," she said in a statement for Pottermore. "I can't wait to see Jamie, Noma and Paul bring the adult Harry, Hermione and Ron to life on stage next summer."

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