rowling at the premiere of fantastic beasts
(Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

The Harry Potter TV show may be having trouble recruiting actors thanks to Rowling’s transphobia

Anti-transgender figurehead JK Rowling is desperate to stay relevant, and the upcoming HBO Harry Potter show is unfortunately going to help her achieve that goal. It’s set to come out in 2026, but despite rumors to the contrary, no-one has actually been cast yet … and reportedly the producers are starting to run into difficulties there.

A new piece by The Times states that “According to TV and film sources, some in the industry were loath to work on the series because they did not support Rowling’s stance on transgender issues or feared abuse from those who disagree with her.” “Those who disagree with her” is a funny way of phrasing “those who want to retain their human rights and medical care” but that’s the British media for you.

You can hardly blame child actors and their families for not wanting to work with Rowling – look at what happened between her and the last people who embodied her characters. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and indeed, a huge amount of the now-grown child cast members from the Potter movies have denounced Rowling’s views on trans people, and she reacted with venom towards Radcliffe and Watson specifically.

Thanks to new £16m Harry Potter TV deal, it's JK Rowling who's having the last laugh | Daily Mail Online

Earlier this year, Rowling was asked by someone called “FarRightHooligan” on X about whether she would “forgive” Radcliffe and Watson, and she responded, “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.”

Who’d want to put a kid within reach of Rowling, who’s had such a terrible impact on British trans people who want nothing more than to live their lives in peace? (Neither Radcliffe, nor Watson, nor any other Harry Potter cast member has offered a public apology to her.)

Interestingly, the Times reported that the casting call states: “We are committed to inclusive, diverse casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to ethnicity, sex, disability, race, sexual orientation [or] gender identity.” But no transgender person would be safe on that show. They are not committed to inclusive casting. They can’t be.