The Harry Potter Reboot Is Off To A Rough Start…

The new Harry Potter show hasn’t even started filming yet, and it’s already drowning in drama — from JK Rowling’s latest controversies to fan outrage over casting choices. And now, even the stars are weighing in. John Lithgow, who’s been cast as Dumbledore, recently opened up about the backlash he’s gotten for signing on. In an interview with The Times of London, Lithgow said he didn’t even think about the politics at first — he was more focused on the fact that it’s an eight-year commitment. “I was just thinking about mortality,” he said. But once he accepted the role, a friend (who’s the mother of a trans child) sent him an open letter asking him to reconsider. Lithgow called it his "canary in the coal mine," but ultimately, he’s not second-guessing his decision. When asked if the backlash made him want to back out, he replied, “Oh, heavens no.” While fans seem okay with Lithgow taking over Dumbledore, the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Snape has set off a wave of outrage online — and not for the reasons you might hope. Many fans flooded HBO’s posts with comments like “Snape is white” and “Recast Snape.” Some tried to explain that making Snape a Black character could unintentionally shift how his story is perceived, possibly turning schoolyard bullying into something racially charged. But honestly, most of the backlash just seems stuck on the fact that they wanted a white Snape. It’s gotten so bad that some fans are even suggesting Adam Driver instead. The whole thing feels messy, and it’s splitting an already divided fanbase even further. And then there’s Rowling herself, whose recent actions have only thrown gasoline on the fire. On April 16, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that “woman” under equality law means biological sex — not gender identity. Rowling celebrated by calling it “TERF VE Day” (a reference to the end of WWII, somehow) and posted beachside photos smoking cigars and sipping drinks. She also donated around £70,000 to the group that pushed the case. Critics say the ruling will open the door to more discrimination against trans people, but Rowling clearly isn’t backing down — and her celebration rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Plenty of stars have called her out over the years, and now Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan has joined the list. Coughlan shared an article calling Rowling’s latest antics “a new low” and bluntly said, “Keep your new Harry Potter lads. Wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.” She also promised to match donations to a trans rights charity, calling the whole situation “stomach-churning and disgusting.” This came after Rowling also took shots at the LGBTQ+ community by mocking International Asexuality Day and falsely accusing an Algerian Olympic boxer of being secretly trans — something that experts say can seriously endanger athletes. Despite all of this, HBO is sticking with Rowling. She’s serving as an executive producer and helped choose the show’s writer and director. Casting for the younger versions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione is still underway, but most of the adult roles — including Lithgow’s Dumbledore — are locked in. And the drama doesn’t stop there. The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal recently slammed Rowling on social media, calling her behavior “awful disgusting SHIT” and “heinous LOSER behavior.” Pascal’s comments are just the latest in a growing chorus of Hollywood voices speaking out against her. At this point, the Harry Potter reboot is stuck between fans who hate Rowling’s politics and fans who are mad about changes to the characters — and that’s before a single frame has even been shot. If HBO thought magic alone would bring the fandom back together, they might need to think again.