Only a few months after HBO said a “[commitment] to inclusive, various casting” for the Harry Potter TV reboot, the community has confirmed proudly transphobic creator J.Okay. Rowling has been “very concerned” within the beginnings of the challenge and lauded the writer for her “invaluable” contribution.
Rowling has been expressing anti-trans views relationship again to a minimum of December 2019 and hasn’t seemed again since releasing a 3,600-word transphobic manifesto in June 2020. Within the aftermath of the be aware, all three principal Harry Potter actors — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint — spoke out towards Rowling’s feedback.
Harry Potter fan websites MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron additionally denounced Rowling’s beliefs, all of which led to Warner Bros. responding with a press release that “a various and inclusive tradition has by no means been extra essential to our firm and to our audiences around the globe.”
And simply at present, Rowling dismissed the Metropolis of Edinburgh Council’s social media submit marking the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Apparently, the felony criticism filed by Algerian boxer and Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif this previous August did little to shake Rowling’s resolve.
But, HBO’s chief content material officer Casey Bloys instructed reporters earlier this month that Rowling was “very, very concerned within the course of of choosing the author and the director” for the upcoming TV sequence and added that her anti-trans statements “haven’t affected the casting or hiring of writers or productions employees.”
Extra just lately, a community spokesperson issued a press release to Selection citing Warner’s “over 20 years” of working with Rowling, including that “her contribution has been invaluable.”
“We’re proud to as soon as once more inform the story of Harry Potter — the heartwarming books that talk to energy of friendship, resolve, and acceptance,” the assertion continued. “J.Okay. Rowling has a proper to specific her private views. We’ll stay targeted on the event of the brand new sequence, which can solely profit from her involvement.”
In the meantime, Rowling has barely promoted the sequence since sharing the open casting name flyer for the central roles within the sequence on September tenth. As a substitute, her social media timeline has been characteristically affected by posts targeted on her anti-trans agenda.
Whereas there’s no launch date set for the Harry Potter sequence, Francesca Gardiner will function showrunner, with fellow Succession alum Mark Mylod hooked up to direct a number of episodes.