The Harry Potter TV series being developed for HBO is starting to look like one of the most beleaguered shows ever made, and that is before it has even entered production. The moment it was announced, the reboot of the Harry Potter franchise as a multi-season TV series was attacked online by fans as an unnecessary cash grab, and a waste of time considering the last movie in the series was released just over a decade ago. On top of that is the ongoing controversy around author J.K. Rowling over her views of the transgender community. The latter of these has led to some fans calling for a boycott of the series and all Harry Potter related projects, and Rowling has now responded with a typically frank Twitter post.
The announcement of plans to reboot the popular story of the boy wizard and his battle against the evil Voldemort was probably one of the worst received in recent history. Many fans just did not see the point of retelling the story, while the rest want nothing to do with the project while Rowling is on board as executive producer. However, it is clear from her recent interaction that the author isn’t that worried about plans to boycott the series, as she has “taken the precaution of laying on a large stock of champagne” for the occasion. Check out her full response below.
Will the Harry Potter TV Series Be A Flop?
It is very unlikely that the Harry Potter TV show will be a failure no matter how many online campaigns and boycotts are arranged by those who want to cut all ties with Rowling and her creation.
Warner Bros. and HBO have already made it clear where they stand on the controversy surrounding Rowling by officially announcing the series, and having already compared the expected budget for the Harry Potter series to be equal to or above that of Game of Thrones and the more recent House of the Dragon, putting it in the region of $125 million per season. This is not the kind of financial commitment that is made lightly, and certainly not if the project has any chance of failure.
HBO Chairman Casey Bloys recently made it even more obvious that whatever public opinion is of Rowling, it is not something that he, or the company, are really going to be drawn into discussing in an open forum. At the Max event earlier this month, Bloys was asked about Rowling’s transgender views, but turned the focus back to the business that he was there to discuss. He said:
“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. 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. [Rowling] will be involved. She’s an executive producer on the show. Her insights are going to be helpful on that. 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.”
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