Summary

• The Harry Potter TV remake faces a controversy due to JK Rowling's involvement, jeopardizing its success.
• Rowling's anti-trans rhetoric alienates a significant part of Harry Potter's LGBTQ+ audience, who grew up with the books.
• Warner Bros. Discovery is mishandling the Rowling controversy, risking backlash and alienating fans, a foolish move considering how recent movies have floundered.

With Warner Bros. Discovery marching toward its Harry Potter TV show remake, it's becoming increasingly clear that JK Rowling's involvement with the project is a risk HBO/Max doesn't need to take. The Harry Potter franchise is a true juggernaut of IP, a brand that has gone–more or less–strong for the past few decades, spawning movies, spinoffs, a Broadway play, a theme park, and more. It was only a matter of time before Harry Potter got a TV series, whether based on the original books or a spinoff.

HBO Max's Harry Potter TV show was reported to be in the works in January 2021, and in April 2023, it was officially confirmed to be in development. It created some confusion when it was revealed that the Harry Potter TV show, which is currently hiring writers, would be a remake adaptation of the books. Considering the movies are still so beloved, it was a curious choice. However, the quick announcement that JK Rowling would be heavily involved in the project from start to finish created an even greater controversy from the moment it got the green light. It's a controversy Warner Bros. Discovery and Max have to deal with if the remake is to succeed.

Rowling's Involvement Immediately Makes Harry Potter's Remake Controversial

Rowling's anti-trans rhetoric is a problem the studio can't ignore

Being a fan of Harry Potter is a difficult task for decent, comionate people right now. The franchise will always be inextricably linked with its creator, JK Rowling, who has not made news in recent years for her books, but for her odd retcons and virulently transphobic views. It's a cognitive dissonance made even more acute by a harsh truth: Harry Potter isn't what it used to be. While the original movies are beloved, the Fantastic Beasts spinoffs have not fared nearly as well, to the point that the final two planned Fantastic Beasts movies were canceled. Rowling and the diminishing quality of the movies have created a scenario in which the Harry Potter IP desperately needs a clean slate.

JK Rowling and the diminishing quality of the movies have created a scenario in which the Harry Potter IP desperately needs a clean slate.

Unfortunately, JK Rowling's intimate involvement with the Harry Potter TV show is the opposite of starting with a clean slate. She's a controversial figure right now, and not in a way that is positive or that can be spun in a positive light. For better or for worse - almost certainly worse - her association with Harry Potter already tainted the remake, but her direct involvement threatens to become a real problem for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The Harry Potter Remake Is Alienating A Large Part Of Its Audience

Rowling's hateful comments have betrayed a significant part of her readership

JK Rowling's devolution from beloved author of children's books to bigoted figurehead of anti-trans panic has been a painful one to watch, not least for the LGBTQ+ community. Harry Potter's queer audience has long been known in pop culture as being a substantial and loyal part of its base. The story of a kid who quite literally comes out of a closet to find himself in a school full of acceptance and friendship is one that deeply resonated with its queer readership, as well as those who were exploring their identity. Plenty of the kids who grew up reading Harry Potter when the series first came out did so because books were a refuge in a world that neither understood nor accepted them.

It makes Rowling's increasingly aggressively transphobic commentary and her refusal to listen to her LGBTQ+ readership all the more a betrayal. Rather than reconsidering her stance and why it may be so hurtful to her readership, she's instead chosen to double down on social media and troll those who disagree. That cruelty has done more than anything to turn off her former LGBTQ+ fans, who are now effectively alienated from the Harry Potter remake thanks to Rowling's participation. Whether it's for moral or emotional reasons, a significant chunk of Harry Potter's audience will not be tuning in to the TV show.

The story of a kid who quite literally comes out of a closet to find himself in a school full of acceptance and friendship is one that deeply resonated with its queer readership, as well as those who were exploring their identity.

Harry Potter's Remake Doesn't Need JK Rowling To Succeed

The franchise has shown it does better when Rowling is less involved

The decision to have JK Rowling so intimately involved in the creative development process of the Harry Potter TV show is a shortsighted one even beyond the issue of her alienating the audience. The Harry Potter movies were beloved, the Fantastic Beasts movies a mess, and they were a mess of Rowling's making–she was, after all, the screenwriter. Rowling has proven to be inept at translating her work to the screen, with the first two Fantastic Beasts movies being roundly trashed for their convoluted plots and endless setups. Warner Bros. would do well to that the movies she wrote were so poorly received that they had to call in longtime Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves as Rowling's co-writer in an attempt to salvage the third and what would be final film.

It's fair to argue that not only can the Harry Potter TV remake succeed without Rowling, but that it would be better off without her close involvement, even if she's not solely responsible for the writing. It's impossible that she'd be completely cut out of the project–she still retains intellectual property rights to the franchise, so it would have to go through her in some way. Still, the Harry Potter franchise is at its best when she's only there as a consultant and not deeply hands-on. The brand still has enough goodwill among audiences that if the creative team delivers a great show, people will watch–but only if she's not involved. Without her, the Harry Potter TV show can still easily succeed. With her, the project is yoked to her as the anchor dragging it down.

Warner Bros. Discovery Is Mishandling The JK Rowling Controversy

CEO David Zaslav isn't exactly king of the zeitgeist

Thus far, Warner Bros. Discovery has not done a single thing to reassure alienated audiences and those turned off by Rowling's transphobic bigotry. In fact, the studio has done quite the opposite, with embattled and controversial CEO David Zaslav recently touting Rowling's involvement on an earnings call. This shows a complete ignorance of how radioactive JK Rowling is now to a large portion of Harry Potter's audience. Zaslav has not exactly shown himself to be a man who understands or cares about the zeitgeist, and it has virtually always caused backlash for which the studio seemed wholly unprepared, but should have anticipated.

Zaslav has not exactly shown himself to be a man who understands or cares about the zeitgeist, and it has virtually always caused backlash for which the studio seemed wholly unprepared, but should have anticipated.

It's genuinely concerning that Warner Bros. Discovery has not only invited Rowling into the process, but is using her as a selling point. At best, it illustrates a lack of understanding of the property or its fanbase; at worst, it illustrates their lack of concern or care for those same fans. Considering Warner Bros. has not had a good Harry Potter universe movie in 13 years, it begs the question of whether the studio still has what it takes to be faithful to the franchise and deliver something great. Unfortunately, all signs are pointing to no. The Harry Potter TV show is now fighting an uphill battle to gain momentum with JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Discovery creating way too much drag.

The Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies are available on Max.