HBO has announced that a new Harry Potter television series is in the works, which will be a decade-long faithful adaptation of the books. However, the announcement has been met with criticism from the LGBTQ+ community and trans allies due to author JK Rowling’s history of controversial anti-trans comments. Despite calls for the production to address this issue, Casey Bloys, chairman and chief executive of HBO and HBO Max, refused to do so during the official announcement. When asked if the author’s remarks would affect casting decisions, Bloys replied, “I don’t think this is the forum. That’s a very online conversation, very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into.”
Rowling will serve as an executive producer on the show, with a new cast “to lead a new generation of fandom.” The series will feature a season dedicated to each book, with a budget on the same scale as HBO’s other hit fantasy shows, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Despite the controversy surrounding Rowling, Bloys emphasized that the priority is what’s on screen, saying, “Obviously, the Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority, what’s on screen.”
The original main cast of the Warner Bros Harry Potter film series, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, have all come out as pro-trans, which some have speculated may have been a factor in the decision to cast a new group of actors. The search for the cast and crew for the new show has now begun.
JK Rowling became involved in the mainstream debate around the transgender community in 2019 after backing “gender critical” campaigner Maya Forstater, who claimed she was fired from her job because of her anti-trans views. Since then, the author has doubled down on her stance that trans women are not women and trans men are not men, started up a trans-exclusionary women’s refuge, mocked trans-inclusive language, and questioned the identity of trans women such as presenter India Willoughby. This has led to criticism from the LGBTQ+ community and trans allies, who call for greater representation and inclusivity.
The new Harry Potter television series comes just two months after the release of the Hogwarts Legacy video game, which faced a boycott by gamers who saw it as perpetuating anti-semitic tropes around goblins and included a bizarrely named trans character, Sirona Ryan. Meanwhile, the Harry Potter spin-off film series Fantastic Beasts has been dropped.
As the search for the new cast and crew begins, fans of the franchise continue to be divided over the new series, with some calling for greater representation and inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community and trans allies.
