Can the Harry Potter HBO series overcome JK Rowling’s transphobia?
When JK Rowling first came out 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’ films – including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne – immediately spoke out in support of trans and non-binary rights and identity. Two of the largest Harry Potter fan communities, MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron, denounced Rowling’s views and cut 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 non-binary people, insisted at least some rhetorical distance between the studio and the creative force behind one of the most enduring and lucrative franchises.
Four years later, the landscape looks very different. Under new leadership, Warner Bros. Discovery is aggressively expanding the reach of Rowling’s Wizarding World, focusing on HBO’s upcoming revival of Rowling’s book series as a feature-length TV show, led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, both “Succession” alumni. HBO chief Casey Bloys told reporters at a press event on November 12 that Rowling was “very, very involved in the process of selecting the writer and the director,” and that her anti-trans statements “had no impact on the casting or hiring writers. or production staff” for the show. And a spokesperson for the network said in a statement Variety that the parent company ‘has been working with JK Rowling and in the Harry Potter business for over twenty years’ and ‘its contribution has been invaluable’.
“We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter – the heartwarming books that speak of the power of friendship, determination and acceptance,” the statement continued. “JK Rowling has the right to express her personal opinions. We will continue to focus on developing the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.” (A representative of Mylod referred Variety to HBO; A Gardiner representative did not respond to a request for comment.)
Rowling, meanwhile, has made her campaign against trans identity central to her online persona. On September 10 she posted the British open casting call for the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley to her 14.2 million followers on on transgender-related issues to support her beliefs, as she does posted on October 7, that gender identity was “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 posted about Harry Potter only eight more times, including one in which she said she “pulled something of a smile” 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 seen a scenario where the sole creator of a beloved, billion-dollar global franchise has so unabashedly waded into one of culture’s most controversial social issues. She has effectively made herself toxic to many within the core fandom, whose devotion began 25 years ago when they were children and has kept the franchise alive long after the books and film series ended. It has left these fans with a difficult dilemma: how can they interact with the new show, or any other version of the franchise, if they vehemently disagree with Rowling’s views on gender identity?
Melissa Anelli, author of “Harry, a History” and webmaster of The Leaky Cauldron, notes that the site has not updated its popular podcast PotterCast since March 2023. “Every time we sit down to have a nice conversation about Harry Potter, the conversation becomes angry and depressing, and so we end up not publishing,” she says. “It has made it less pure, exciting and fun as it used to be. All of that now has this layer of, “Right, but the person at the center of it all believes that a certain segment of the population isn’t real.”
“The fandom of 10 years ago was like a pipe dream,” says Kat Miller, creative director of MuggleNet and co-author of “The Unofficial Harry Potter Companion.” The “Harry Potter” books and films’ emphasis on ideals of equality and inclusivity attracted a legion of fans — whom Miller describes as “women in the majority, and very, very, very queer” — who were united in their passion for a story that reaches an exciting and very satisfying conclusion. Today, Miller says, the fanbase is “absolutely fractured, and I think that’s mostly because of her. There are just too many political issues that hinder 100% enthusiasm.”
Indeed, Rowling’s views have provoked both sharp expressions of support and dissent; As Radcliffe continues to express how “deeply sad” the author’s comments on trans issues have made him, “Potter” stars Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent have spoken out in her defense, and the replies to her on X are filled with words of encouragement. Rowling, for her part, has confirmed that she is not concerned about her gender activism influence on her legacyAnd in Aprilshe made it clear that she would not forgive any creative collaborator who has spoken out against her beliefs: “Celebrities who joined a movement to erode women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to encourage the transition of minors can saving excuses for traumatized detransitioners and vulnerable women who rely on single-gender spaces.” (Even this week, Rowling demonstrated her resolve by calling out John Oliver — whom she met when he volunteered for her children’s charity Lumos — for speaking in support of trans children playing sports on his HBO series “Last Week Tonight” , which the author called “absolutely nonsense.”)
For every actor joining the new Harry Potter series, Rowling has thrown down a gauntlet they’re unlikely to escape once casting for the show begins in earnest next year – just as the new Trump administration is likely to start implementing plans to protect to turn back. for trans youth and healthcare. “You can’t blame someone for wanting to do the work. But the internet, the fandom, and the politics of it all will probably demand that they say so something,” says Molenaar. “If you don’t, people will automatically assume you agree with Rowling.”
While some Potter fans have called for a boycott of the new series – which Rowling mocked in 2023 – Anelli has begun to question its effectiveness. “There is the argument that support is increasing [Rowling’s] influence,” she says. ‘I don’t know how much more she can take. Money is a bit theoretical for her. It’s in the stratosphere. What does a raindrop do to a thunderstorm?” Four years of fan outrage and shunning of her work, Anelli says, “has had no impact at all on the bottom line” within the vast Potter industry of book sales, video games, theme parks, toys and other ancillary revenue streams. At this point she sees total disengagement as self-defeating: “If everyone who objects just leaves the floor, we’ll leave.” [Rowling] with a microphone all alone and no way to influence that dialogue.
That prospect prompted Tylor Starr, Potter fandom expert and co-author of “The Unofficial Harry Potter Vegan Cookbook,” to conduct a private, informal survey of about 250 “highly committed Harry Potter fans” about their feelings about Rowling and the franchise. . Among his findings, he says, is that 79% of cisgender respondents felt conflicted about purchasing a new Potter-related product. That led Starr to explore ways for fans to “compensate” for purchasing Potter material. “If you buy a new wand, can you donate part of it to a transgender charity?” he says. “There are so many fans who deeply disagree with what Rowling says, but still want to be part of the Harry Potter fandom.”
Ironically, while Rowling’s actions have undermined the devotion of many Potter fans to her, they also seem to have strengthened those fans’ solidarity with each other. “Giving up and shutting down fandom is not the place we wanted to be,” Miller says. “We see the value in the community that the fans have created. We can enjoy that and enjoy it without the author.
The question now is whether HBO can cast the same spell.
