Posted in: HBO, TV | Tagged: harry potter, jk rowling

Harry Potter Not Impacted by JK Rowling's Transgender Comments: Bloys

HBO/Max CEO Casey Bloys said that the Harry Potter series hasn't "felt any impact" from author JK Rowling's transgender comments/controversy.

When we last checked in on Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO and Warner Bros. Television's upcoming multi-season series adaptation of bestselling author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels, reports were that Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light) was potentially being eyed for the role of Dumbledore (though no sides are commenting). But during an HBO/Max press event earlier today previewing what's to come in 2025, HBO and Max CEO Casey Bloys addressed some of the bigger questions hovering over the project – beginning with how much Rowling has been involved in the production so far and if Rowling's controversial postings and messaging that have been labeled by many as transphobic.

"She's been fairly involved — she was very involved in the process of selecting the writer and the director," Bloys shared. "I imagine she'll have opinions on casting. It hasn't affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff or anything, so we haven't felt any impact from that." Then there's the matter of the overall timelines – specifically, how the production will manage its multi-season schedule so that the leads don't age out of their respective roles.

"It is something we're thinking about," Bloys shared. "One of the ideas we talked about was shooting the first season and the second season very close to each other, time-wise, because the kids, from 11 to 13, is a big jump in kids' lives. You can get away with 13 to 15, something like that. So, we are going to have to think about scheduling and shooting so that they don't grow too much between seasons. It is a consideration." While noting that "an annual schedule will be tough" to maintain for each season based on the novel it's adapting, Bloys added that "it depends on how much is written ahead of time." While a 2027 series premiere is possible, Bloys also quickly made it clear that isn't something that should be set in stone. "Don't hold me to any of that because we're just getting started with the writing and casting process," Bloys added.

The stories from each of Rowling's Harry Potter books will become (from the initial statement that was released when the series news first dropped) "a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love, and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of fantastic detail, much-loved characters, and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic, and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."

The series is written and executive-produced by showrunner Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve). Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.

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