Warner Bros. appears to be taking a very big risk on rebooting a beloved franchise that now has some political issues attached to it as well. The Harry Potter franchise was a major hit for the film studio with eleven major motion pictures and becoming one of the top earning I.P.s in the world.
Fans watched as the Wizarding World expanded and stars like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint grew into iconic roles. Now the studio wants fans to come back for the same story, but this time told as a longer form television series with a new cast… and you never know how fans of a cherished series might respond.
And then there is the other issue, the once hailed author of the series, J.K. Rowling, has become extremely polarizing with her outspoken, pro-feminist public statements against men pretending to be women being allowed in ladies rooms and other women’s spaces. Her majority mainstream opinions alienated a large portion of her fanbase which the studio now thinks could also affect the potential audience for the reboot.
I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine. pic.twitter.com/nKcAl3gcvO
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 5, 2025
This was addressed by HBO CEO Casey Bloys while a guest on The Town with Matthew Belloi podcast. Bloys spoke about doing business with Rowlings, “The decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us. We’ve been in business for 25 years. We already have a show on HBO from her called C.B. Strike that we do with the BBC. It’s pretty clear that those are her personal, political views. She’s entitled to them. Harry Potter is not secretly being infused with anything. If you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.”
Starting to feel like they might as well just take the budget out of the bank in hundred dollar bills, make a big pile on Sunset blvd and light it on fire. https://t.co/knUrjn050V
— George MF Washington (@GMFWashington) May 3, 2025
Bloys appears to be trying to distance the studio from the author’s political views while continuing to work with her as an executive producer on the new series. Is this the right move?
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Karina Smitt
I'm not as much of a "CoMiCs NeEd MoAr DiVeRsItY & iNcLuSiOn" advocate as my girlfriend often is, but we both love funny books, crispy bacon, straight bourbon and hip hop. Add yet, we never vote the same, so we cancel each other out... and that works perfectly in my book!
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