\n<\/p>\n
There were leaks that this was happening a week ago but today the announcement is official.<\/p>\n
\nYour Hogwarts letter is here. <\/p>\n
Max has ordered the first ever #HarryPotter<\/a> scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books. #StreamOnMax<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3CgEHLYhch<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 HBO Max (@hbomax) April 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This is going to be a full retelling of all 7 books with an all new cast. They\u2019re expecting this to take a decade<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nEach season of the show will be based on one of the books in the franchise, with Warner Bros. Discovery describing the show as a \u201cdecade-long series.\u201d It will feature an entirely new cast from the films.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,\u201d said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content. \u201cHarry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Supposedly, HBO has been looking at this since 2021<\/a>. Variety\u2019s article back then noted that the content came with some controversy.<\/p>\n
\n\u2026the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d world has not been without controversy. Franchise creator J.K. Rowling received tremendous backlash due to a series of anti-trans tweets and a lengthy essay on the subject in June 2020.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
If you\u2019re a regular reader then you already know JK Rowling hasn\u2019t gotten any less controversial since then. In fact, when a new Harry Potter video game (Hogwarts Legacy) was launched earlier this year it was met with denunciations and silence<\/a> from many gaming websites. One trans writer for Gamespot drew a firm line in the sand when speaking to the Washington Post<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n
\n\u201cEveryone\u2019s going to have a complicated relationship to that conversation,\u201d said Jessie Earl, a 30-year-old trans YouTuber and journalist who uses she\/they pronouns.<\/p>\n
Last month, Earl declared her own stance. \u201cI will not begrudge anyone their love of past works or thing[s] they already own that they take comfort in,\u201d she tweeted. \u201cI own the first 9 movies and all 7 books myself. But any support of something like Hogwarts Legacy is harmful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
As I noted at the time, even commenters at the Post (a reliably left-wing audience) didn\u2019t seem to find that convincing. JK Rowling herself mocked the line between old works and new ones.<\/p>\n
\nDeeply disappointed @jessiegender<\/a> doesn’t realise purethink is incompatible with owning ANYTHING connected with me, in ANY form. The truly righteous wouldn’t just burn their books and movies but the local library, anything with an owl on it and their own pet dogs. #DoBetter<\/a> 1\/2 pic.twitter.com\/LqANqab8Km<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 17, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The idea that people should refuse to buy the game was reinforced<\/a> at Vox<\/em> despite the fact that JK Rowling wasn\u2019t directly involved in it. Some of Rowling\u2019s critics really did their best to downplay the game even though actual reviewers agreed it was great.<\/p>\n
\nHogwarts Legacy Reviews #PS5<\/a>:<\/p>\n
Carole Quintaine 10\/10
MeuPlayStation 10\/10
Glitched Africa 10\/10
PSU 9.5\/10
TierraGamer 9.5\/10
IGN 9\/10
IGN Spain 9\/10
PSX Brasil 9\/10
Press Start 9\/10
PlayStation Lifestyle 9\/10
PowerUp! 9\/10
Geek Culture 9\/10
WellPlayed 9\/10
FingerGuns 9\/10 pic.twitter.com\/twixnPXB5j<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 GermanStrands (@GermanStrands) February 6, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In lieu of a review, Gamespot published a trans flag<\/a> along with a list of trans charities people could donate to. But sadly the trans boycott was not successful. On the contrary, Hogwarts Legacy was undoubtedly a huge hit<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nSelling over 12 million copies globally within the first two weeks of release, the game ranks among the fastest-selling titles in recent memory.<\/p>\n
In statistics revealed by Warner Bros. Games, the company reported over $850 million in global sales in the first 14 days after launch.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
So when the chairman of HBO Max says \u201cHarry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World\u201d I think he\u2019s probably talking about Hogwarts Legacy. The very online left did their best to make the game problematic and to convince people not to buy it and the result was a massive hit that earned nearly a billion in revenue in the first two weeks.<\/p>\n
Now with this new announcement those same activists are going to have a renewed interest in convincing people not to watch the new show. Because unlike the game, Rowling is directly involved with the new show<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nRowling will executive produce along with Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts. David Heyman is currently in talks to executive produce.<\/p>\n
\u201cMax\u2019s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I\u2019m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series,\u201d said Rowling.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Of course there\u2019s no guarantee a new show will be a hit. That depends partly on scripts and casting and a lot of other things that haven\u2019t happened yet. Still, this is probably the closest thing there is to a sure bet both because the property itself is already a huge hit and because Rowling will be in a position to make sure it doesn\u2019t stray too far from her original vision. This is going to be another big win for Rowling and another big loss for her critics.<\/p>\n
Speaking of her critics, they are already spouting bitterly about the announcement.<\/p>\n
\nIf I was WB deciding what franchise to spend the next decade on, I would want to future-proof it by not latching onto a bigot who’s been getting more and more vitriolic towards LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n
They’re actually banking on society still not caring about trans folks in 10 years. https:\/\/t.co\/LcA3ARaZoT<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Mia Moore (@StopTweetingMia) April 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nWell, last time Warner Bros committed to a decade long project they hadn’t started making or CAST was the DCEU and that failed so bad the studio no longer exists. But maybe doing it AGAIN but anchored to the whims of a creator leading a global lynch mob will work!#HarryPotter<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/dmmQNrSNrS<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Like Kurosawa, I Make Mad (@the_moviebob) April 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nI hope for your failure and demise. https:\/\/t.co\/WkSpdFYwho<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 JJ (@ladydragonjj) April 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nHoly crap it’s even worse than I thought, they’re using the same music score for this weak-ass promo video. So like\u2026 nothing new? Nothing fundamentally different? Just the cut stuff added in? That’s all you appear to be selling\u2026 wow.<\/p>\n
Also JK Rowling is a transphobe. https:\/\/t.co\/8OuRXI11Pq<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Council of Geeks (@councilofgeeks) April 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nSo.. can we collectively agree to ignore this?<\/p>\n
Like don’t talk about it. Don’t give it attention. Just ignore it completely because JoAnn just doesn’t want to have lead actors that hate her guts and doesn’t want to lose relevancy\u2026 <\/p>\n
Like we just all need to not touch this https:\/\/t.co\/N5WMcXZY7u<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Breana Navickas @ Looking for work (@breanimator) April 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nWorth noting JKR is an exec producer on this and she\u2019s a trash fire of a human being. Just saying. https:\/\/t.co\/pbq6wovMeK<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Chris \u201cGinger Sith\u201d Barreras (@Gingerdome81) April 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This is not even scratching the surface of all the hard coping that is happening already. I really look forward to all of the 3,000 word pieces begging people not to watch this followed by millions of people watching it anyway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n