Harry Potter author JK Rowling has shared a sarcastic response to those calling for a boycott of the new Harry Potter TV reboot.
The 57-year-old British author made a name for herself after creating the magical wizarding world of Harry Potter, a young boy who gets up to all sorts of mischief while attending the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Rowling's books were turned into a wildly popular film series starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Dame Maggie Smith, the late Alan Rickman, Brendan Gleeson, and many more.
Most recently, it was revealed that the movies would get a fresh TV reboot.
HBO and Discovery+ have teamed up to offer a service called Max, and they've just announced that our favorite wizards and witches will be coming back to our screens as we are set to return to Hogwarts. The company said that they will be remaining faithful to the source material - Rowling's books - and it will be produced in a way that is recognizable to Potter fans across the globe.
The series is set to span across the course of a decade with an entirely new cast - however, no sooner had this news come out than people began declaring they'd boycott it over Rowling's past public statements.
The author of the world-famous Harry Potter series has come under fire in recent years for a number of comments she has made that have resulted in people branding her transphobic, which she denies.
Amid the criticism, Rowling on Friday (April 21) wrote on Twitter: "Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne."
The Independent detailed that Max and HBO Content Head Casey Bloys declined to comment on the issue when asked whether Rowling's involvement in the new TV series could negatively impact the show. "That's a very online conversation, very nuanced and complicated, and not something we're going to get into," he replied.
The outlet also mentioned how the release of Hogwarts Legacy - a video game adaptation of Harry Potter - earlier this year resulted in similar calls to boycott. Sebastian Croft, an actor who voices one of the characters in the game, went to great lengths to publicly distance himself from Rowling's comments about the transgender community in a statement at the time.
"I was cast in this project over 3 years ago, back when all Harry Potter was to me, was the magical world I grew up with. This was long before I was aware of JK Rowling's views. I believe whole heartedly that trans women are women and trans men are men," he said on Twitter.
In another tweet, Croft added: "I know far more now than I did 3 years ago, and hope to learn far more in the next 3. I'm really sorry to anyone hurt by this announcement. There is no LGB without the T [...]."
As for the Harry Potter series, it is set to span over a decade - possibly giving viewers a chance to learn more about aspects from the book that the movies don't include. However, one thing fans can be certain about is that they will be seeing Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson reprise their roles as they did not sign up for the project.
