J.K. Rowling, despite constantly being called a transphobe, will have an active role in the new “Harry Potter” television series.
Rowling, the author behind the best-selling fantasy novels, was given creative control of the forthcoming adaptation of her work as an executive producer, Deadline reported Friday. This means she will be heavily involved in the show’s decision-making process.
While the news delighted many “Harry Potter” fans, those who consider themselves allies of the transgender community expressed outrage over the author’s involvement in the show.
One popular social media account, for example, posted about the report but called Rowling a certain name.
“Known transphobe J.K. Rowling is now reported to be an active exec producer on the ‘HARRY POTTER’ series where she will be involved in the show’s decision-making,” DiscussingFilm said on X.
Known transphobe J.K. Rowling is now reported to be an active exec producer on the ‘HARRY POTTER’ series where she will be involved in the show’s decision-making.
(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/iSmGMJ3teg
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 19, 2024
Garnering over 12 million views in less than 24 hours, the post was lauded by social justice warriors. Others, however, did not take kindly to the pointed description of Rowling.
“JK Rowling is not a ‘transphobe’. She has the same views as 90% of the population and she is merely advocating for real women,” Wall Street Silver posted. “The only people attacking her are the extreme radical left, and most of us just ignore those crazies.”
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As for “Harry Potter” fans, optimism regarding the show’s success is high, given that Rowling is confirmed to have creative input in the final cut.
“‘Known Transphobe’ is how they refer to @jk_rowling; this seems like a bizarre way to describe someone who merely wishes for basic biology to be recognized,” said The Rabbit Hole. “On the bright side, since JK Rowling is involved there is a fairly decent chance that the new Harry Potter series will actually be good.”
Another fan noted the series will be extremely successful, considering “Hogwarts Legacy” was the top-selling video game last year. The game sold 22 million copies by the end of December, Variety reported.
“Knowing @jk_rowling is going to be involved in the series gives me hope that it’s going to be good. Also, keep it up with the smears, Discussing Film 🙄,” Nina Infinity said. “Not like Hogwarts Legacy didn’t become the #1 selling game in US in 2023. This show will be the most watched. Streisand Effect.”
It’s expected Rowling will receive more backlash for her involvement in the series due to her critical comments on transgenderism, a controversy that reached its tipping point back in June 2020.
Regardless, Warner Bros. Discovery has been dying to release more entertainment set in the Wizarding World, according to CEO David Zaslav.
“We haven’t done anything with Harry Potter for more than a decade,” Zaslav said at a Goldman Sachs conference earlier this week, ignoring the three spinoff “Fantastic Beasts” films that did not achieve the same height of popularity or box-office numbers as the eight “Harry Potter” movies.
“We need to deploy our best capital, and we need to do it with the best creative people in the world,” he added.
Your Hogwarts letter is here.
Max has ordered the first ever #HarryPotter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/3CgEHLYhch
— Max (@StreamOnMax) April 12, 2023
Currently in pre-production, the “Harry Potter” reboot will release on Max, formerly HBO Max, sometime in 2025 or 2026.
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me,” Rowling said in a statement, “and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.”
