HBO says ‘Harry Potter’ series will ‘benefit’ from J.K. Rowling’s involvement
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has made her campaign against transgender identity the central focus of her online persona.
When J.K. Rowling first went public in June 2020 about her belief that transgender women are men and transgender men are women, many of the stars of the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” movies — including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne — immediately spoke out in support of trans and nonbinary rights and identity. Two of the biggest Harry Potter fan communities, MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron, denounced Rowling’s views and severed ties with the author’s future projects. And Warner Bros. released a carefully worded statement that “a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our company and to our audiences around the world” — which, while not mentioning Rowling or trans and nonbinary people, did at least put some rhetorical distance between the studio and the creative force behind one of its most enduring and lucrative franchises.
Four years later, the landscape looks quite different. Under new leadership, Warner Bros. Discovery has aggressively expanded the reach of Rowling’s Wizarding World, centered on HBO’s impending revival of Rowling’s book series as a longform TV show, led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, both alums of “Succession.” HBO chief Casey Bloys told reporters at a press event on Nov. 12 that Rowling was “very, very involved in the process selecting the writer and the director,” and her anti-trans statements “haven’t affected the casting or hiring of writers or productions staff” for the show. And a spokesperson for the network said in a statement to Variety that its parent company has “been working with J.K. Rowling and in the Harry Potter business for over 20 years” and “her contribution has been invaluable.”
“We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter — the heartwarming books that speak to power of friendship, resolve and acceptance,” the statement continued. “J.K. Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.” (A rep for Mylod referred Variety to HBO; a rep for Gardiner did not respond to a request for comment.)
Rowling, meanwhile, has made her campaign against trans identity the central focus of her online persona. On Sept. 10, she posted the U.K. open casting call for the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley to her 14.2 million followers on X. That was an exception: Over the next two months, Rowling posted or reposted more than 200 times (excluding replies) about trans-related issues to support her conviction, as she posted on Oct. 7, that gender identity “is defined by little more than a person’s subjective feelings, or (more accurately) their claim to feel those feelings.” Within the same time frame, she posted or reposted about Harry Potter just eight more times, including one in which she said she “pulled something laughing” at a fan expressing their “immeasurable” disappointment that Rowling was, in her words, “very involved” with the “Potter” series. (Through a spokesperson, Rowling declined to comment for this story.)
The industry has never quite faced a scenario in which the sole creator of a beloved, multibillion-dollar global franchise has plunged so unabashedly into one of the culture’s most contentious social issues. She’s effectively made herself toxic to many within the core fandom, whose devotion began 25 years ago when they were children and has sustained the franchise long after the books and the film series concluded. It’s placed those fans in a vexing dilemma: How can they engage with the new show, or any other iteration of the franchise, if they vehemently disagree with Rowling’s views on gender identity?
Rating: 5