Could ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot End Up Losing Some of Its Cast Members Over J.K. Backlash?
When HBO ordered a seven-season Harry Potter TV series, it seemed a sure-fire hit: over 600 million books sold, $7.7 billion at the box office, and theme-park lines longer than a giant Basilisk. Yet the road back to Hogwarts now passes through a political minefield.
Earlier this month, the UK Supreme Court, in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, defined a “woman” strictly as biological sex under the Equality Act 2010, which has sent shockwaves through the trans community and beyond.
Author-turned-executive-producer J.K. Rowling hailed the verdict with a cigar-wielding selfie on social media, with the line, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Few tweets could have landed harder. For instance, The Mandalorian and The Last of Us actor Pedro Pascal—whose sister is trans—has called Rowling a “heinous loser” in response.
Rowling will executive-produce the new series alongside showrunner Francesca Gardiner (HBO’s Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve), director of multiple episodes Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us), and Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
The newly announced ensemble is also stacked with talent: Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape), Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid), Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall), Luke Thallon (Quirinus Quirrell), Paul Whitehouse (Argus Filch) and John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore).
But while cameras are due to roll this summer, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Related: ‘Harry Potter’ Fans Furious Over Latest HBO Series Casting News
Let’s be clear: no reports suggest that HBO is reconsidering the series. However, it’s possible some of the actors who have signed on to inhabit Rowling’s world may be weighing public perception against career momentum. If even one lead withdraws, schedules could unravel faster than a home-made, hand-me-down Weasley jumper.
Either way, the future could be turbulent for the Harry Potter TV series. Not only that, but every red-carpet stroll and press-junket quote will undoubtedly invite the same question: Where do you stand on Rowling’s comments?
Rowling herself is unlikely to fade into the background. Her executive-producer credit guarantees involvement in scripts, as well as the casting process. But if she keeps firing tweets like dangerous spells, the series could be at risk, if not from cancelation then from low viewership when it finally premieres on HBO sometime next year.
For now, pre-production marches on. But whether audiences will be ready to board HBO’s Hogwarts Express when it finally arrives—or decide the track has been hexed beyond repair—for now, remains unknown.
Click here to find out everything there is to know about the new Harry Potter TV series.
What do you think about JK Rowling’s tweet and Pedro Pascal’s response? Let us know in the comments below.
