J.K. Rowling’s Transphobia Controversy: HBO Executive’s Honest Opinion on Bringing Her Back For Harry Potter TV Show
As soon as the ‘Harry Potter’ TV series was announced, it garnered a huge amount of attention for various reasons, the involvement of J.K. Rowling being the most popular one among them. This announcement marked the closure of the press conference that was arranged to launch the merger of HBO Max and Discovery+, called Max. The series is set to portray the nooks and crannies of the world created by J.K. Rowling in detail over the period of ten years.
The now very controversial, Rowling, also the author of the universe will executive-produce the series. Within just a few hours of its announcement, it has been criticized gravely and die-hard fans all over the world have mixed feelings about the very ambitious project. Therefore, when the executives were questioned about their choices, their answers did not surprise anybody.
HBO Executives on the J.K. Rowling Controversy
It was inevitable, someone had to address the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room. Obviously, there were going to be discords and articles over the fact. All people wanted to know was, what the thought process could have been behind the executives’ minds that led them to allow the involvement of J.K. Rowling with something, they are very serious about. Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO Max, as well as of the new platform Max refused to speak on the matter when questioned. He explained,
“No, I don’t think this is the forum,–That’s a very online conversation, very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into.”
Bloys then further added,
“Our priority is what’s on the screen,—Obviously, the ‘Harry Potter’ story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority — what’s on screen.”
The CEO then addressed the matter head-on and spoke candidly about the facts,
“[Rowling] will be involved. She’s an executive producer on the show. Her insights are going to be helpful on that.”
Bloys reminded everyone that they are no strangers to the business and trust their experience, and encouraged them to have faith in them. He said,
“The TV show is new and we’re excited about that, but, remember, we’ve been in the ‘Potter’ business for 20 years. This is not a new decision for us, we’re very comfortable being in the ‘Potter’ business.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also shared his views regarding the situation, and he did not hold back. He said,
“We’re free to do anything we want,–In some areas, we’d need to do it with J.K., in other areas we have full ability to move forward. So this is a full deployment on the Max platform of ‘Harry Potter.’”
The content house has huge hopes for the project, and it is still in its very early ages but certain things that can’t be ignored still continue to bother its fans. The statements put out by the executives also did not provide them with closure, and therefore many are upset.
Was the announcement well-received?
Well, the feelings are mixed, there are various reasons fans are lashing out, the J.K. Rowling one being the obvious one. It is no secret that the recent years have been very detrimental to the reputation she successfully created over the years with her excellent work. Her controversial remarks on gender identity left many of her fans heartbroken. Many individuals feel that an integral part of their childhood was unexpectedly taken away, sparking a debate about whether art can be separated from the artist and if such a separation can be successful.
This is what J.K. Rowling had to say regarding the situation,
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me,–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.”
Secondly, it seemed a little pointless to many, a bit of a cash grab. Since there was no need for it, seven novels and extraordinary movies made everybody’s childhood special was sufficient to quench the thirst. People on the internet think it is very important to know when to stop or say goodbye to a certain idea. Taking it any further could ruin its charm and essence. One Twitter user said,
“The trailer for the new Harry Potter TV show having the same theme tune as the movies. I mean that’s nothing new with reboots but it is literally just gonna be the same thing all over again with a new cast lol,”
While another rightfully said,
“What’s the point? (I know the point is to make money.)”
Thus, people are not much excited about the prospects the executives seemed so sure about. Only time will now tell if the series will at all be able to win over its audience and make a name for itself.
Source: Variety
