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This story was updated on June 22 to reflect new comments from author J.K Rowling
So, production is ramping up on the Harry Potter TV series, with casting well underway in the UK and Ireland. As of May 28, we even know who will be stepping into the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The series, which was ordered by HBO (and then moved to Max, whatever that means), will adapt the beloved children’s book series for the small screen. The creators have said it will be an epic and “faithful” adaptation that would run for “10 consecutive years”. The project has attracted some big names, such as Succession writer/director duo Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod. There are even rumours that Oscar winner Cillian Murphy will take the role of Voldemort.
To this, I have one response: Please Cillian, no! Don’t do it.
Why Are We Giving J.K Rowling’s Transphobia Another Platform?
J.K Rowling shocked fans when she began chipping away at the trans community on platforms like Twitter (now X). The first instance was in December, 2019 when the author tweeted support for Maya Forstater, a tax specialist who had been fired at a thinktank after tweeting that trans women could not change their biological sex.
Since then, Rowling’s “gender critical” remarks have become de rigour in the UK, turning many long time Harry Potter fans off the series entirely. On April 17, 2025, the 59-year-old multi-millionaire disappointed and disgusted yet again. She celebrated the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the legal definition of woman is based on biological sex, a ruling that means the Equality Act excludes transgender women. This means trans women will have greater restrictions placed on access to services and spaces reserved for women — something Rowling sees as cause for celebration.
Rowling, who according to The Guardian, has donated some £70,000 to For Women Scotland, which is the group who petitioned for the ruling. Rowling posted a photo of herself on a balcony overlooking the sea, sipping what looked to be a negroni and smoking a cigar with what would be a comically villainous comment: “I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights.”
While Rowling has denied she’s transphobic, this is another instance of her doubling down publicly and cruelly, and her post received supportive comments from the likes of Elon Musk, with other users throwing in some racism for good measure with requests she “cancel black Snape”.
For others, offering the books’ author an entirely new platform and access to a new generation of fans is a major red flag.
J.K Rowling seems to relish her position as a problematic figure. However, the Harry Potter author’s ongoing barrage of anti-trans commentary has cast a shadow over her legacy and has been condemned by activists and organisations like GLAAD for spreading misinformation and harm towards LGBTQIA community. And for a lot of her fans, the author’s stance is not only heartbreaking, but it’s more than enough reason to avoid any new iterations of the work.
How Have Ex-Harry Potter Fans Reacted To J.K Rowling’s Comments?
“The Harry Potter series helped me survive my extremely awkward childhood. I love those books and have frequently reread them during hard times as an adult.,” Australian fan, Ruby tells ELLE Australia. “They’ve seen me through many hard times, from breakups to moving countries.”
“Over the last few years J.K. Rowling’s presence on X has robbed me of a lot of that joy. Her stance is completely oppositional to the values espoused by the books. They ring hollow.”
“The more Harry Potter continues to be remade – the more JK Rowling gets to stay in the discourse. And that ain’t right!”
Kate, Harry Potter fan
Fellow HP fan, Kate, who once even lined up at 5am at Sydney’s Central Station for the train that would take fans to a ‘mystery location’ for the release of the latest Harry Potter book, added that there’s really no need for more adaptations or remakes.
“I do believe that at this stage, they need to just let the legacy live on from what it started out as; a magical world that had the power to remove us from the realities of our teenage worlds or whatever we were experiencing, free from the creator’s vile worldview that has since cast such a sad shadow over those memories,” she told ELLE Australia. “The more Harry Potter continues to be remade – the more JK Rowling gets to stay in the discourse. And that isn’t right!”
While it’s now impossible to keep across all of Rowling’s upsetting comments, at some point or another, she has been condemned by a number of organisations and activists in the LGBTQIA space. In 2020, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said, “JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which wilfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans” and that the author had “no excuse for targeting trans people.” In 2024, Olympic boxer Imane Khelif named JK Rowling in a cyber harassment lawsuit.
Trans and gender queer activists Shon Faye, Jonathan Van Ness and Katelyn Burns have also all criticised Rowling for her stance. Pedro Pascal also responded to her villainous tweets following the transphobic ruling in the UK by commenting on a video calling her out. He wrote, “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.”
Even the stars of the original film franchise have disavowed Rowling, with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson each expressing their sadness and disapproval regarding Rowling’s stance. Eddie Redmayne, who starred in the Fantastic Beasts prequel films and who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a trans woman in The Danish Girl, has also said he doesn’t agree.
Has There Been Controversy Around Casting For The New Harry Potter Series?
Unsurprisingly, casting for the show has been a contentious topic since the series was announced, with Rowling’s comments appearing to embolden people to crawl out of their corners of the internet to sling hate at the actors signed on to the project.
On May 28, it was announced that after an open casting call that saw 30,000 people vying for the roles, three relative newcomers have been cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. HBO announced the news in an Instagram post, Dominic McLaughlin will play the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton is Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout is Ron Weasley. HBO made the decision to turn comments off on the post.
Previous castings that have been announced promise “a faithful adaptation” to the source material, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t attracted ire from fans and critics alike. So far, casting announcements include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
With each new casting announcement, the question of why this project is being brought to life resurfaces, and with a 10-year run ahead of us, it’s a conversation that won’t be going anywhere, any time soon.
So, what does it mean to champion the work of this person to a whole new generation? While conversations around separating art and artist continue to do the rounds, there are greater questions to be asked. Like, say, the safety of platforming a person who spreads dangerous and cruel misinformation. And this is what Max is doing with its Harry Potter series.
While Harry Potter remains in the hearts of many of its fans, who will continue to pore (disappointedly) over their rumpled original copies of The Philosopher’s Stone, backing an entirely new project (that will continue for 10 years!) feels wrong.
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