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In 1997, unknown English writer J.K. Rowling released a brand-new book about a young boy who learns that he is a wizard and then goes to a school for young witches and wizards.
Little did Rowling know that her new book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, would change the world. Since then, there have been six more wildly popular Harry Potter books – The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows.
Credit: Wizarding World
Related: ‘Harry Potter’ Star Tells Fans to “Grow Up” and Get Over It
Four years after the release of The Philosopher’s Stone (AKA The Sorcerer’s Stone), the first Harry Potter film was released. The entire film franchise was an absolute hit, making Warner Bros. close to $1 billion. The love for Harry Potter was also expanded when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at the Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Japan.
For years, J.K. Rowling was beloved by millions of people around the world, and she was even the first author to ever become a billionaire. Unfortunately, she has thrown all that away in recent years with some incredibly controversial opinions.
Credit: Universal
Related: Beloved ‘Harry Potter’ Star Calls His Performance “Mediocre”
The trouble and controversy began in 2018, when Rowling claimed that she “accidentally” liked a transphobic tweet that called trans women, “men in dresses”. However, she began to follow a “self-professed transphobe” on Twitter (now called X). Since then, she has made it clear that she does not think that transgender women are actually women.
And now, the once esteemed writer will find herself the star of a new one-act play called TERF, which stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist.
Credit: Universal
TERF was penned by American playwright and screenwriter Joshua Kaplan, who most recently worked on Max’s Tokyo Vice, and the play’s creative team insists the production is not a hit piece and has asked Rowling to attend the show — what Kaplan insists is a genuine invitation and not an attempt at “trolling.”
“The premise is that Daniel, Emma and Rupert organize an intervention,” Kaplan tells The Hollywood Reporter from Edinburgh, where rehearsals will be underway Monday. (So far there has only been one table read, conducted over Zoom.) There are then “interspersed flashback scenes,” Kaplan explains, that serve to explain how Rowling developed her rigid views about gender.
Credit: J.K. Rowling, Instagram
The play will end much like Rowling’s story is playing out in the media. Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) have all spoken out against Rowling’s controversial opinions. Their once-close relationship with her has been destroyed, and the author has said that she will never forgive them.
Rowling’s time in the hot seat has not been great for Warner Bros. The studio is currently developing a new series for Max (formerly HBO Max). The new series will last ten seasons and dive deeper into the books than the movies did. And J.K. Rowling is set to serve as an executive producer on the show, which already has some fans vowing that they will not watch.
Credit: Max
Related: J.K. Rowling Continues Attacks on Trans Community, Asks “Do I get to be black if I like Motown”
Even though the play is only a one-act play that will appear at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest, it has created such a buzz that Kaplan is hoping to expand. He is hoping for a full London run and perhaps even a Hollywood film adaptation.
Do you think Warner Bros. should distance itself from J.K. Rowling? Let us know in the comments!
