JK Rowling Orders "Large Stock of Champagne" In Response to 'Harry Potter' Reboot Boycott

It’s only been two weeks since the Harry Potter reboot was announced by Warner Bros. and HBO Max, but there’s already trouble brewing in the Wizarding World…

It’s certainly no stretch to say that the once-inoffensive Harry Potter franchise has become the most controversial in the entertainment industry. Johnny Depp’s dismissal from the Fantastic Beasts series and his world-famous trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, Ezra Miller’s multiple arrests, and, of course, the creator herself, JK Rowling, who upset the trans community and beyond back in 2019 with divisive tweets regarding gender identity.

Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in the rally in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' — Credit: Warner Bros.

And those tweets have had huge ripple effects on Harry Potter, a problem that really made itself known when the open-world game Hogwarts Legacy (2023) garnered a whirlwind of negative attention in the months leading up to its release, with many fans boycotting the title due to its affiliations with the author, who has been described as “transphobic” by many members of the trans community and beyond since those first tweets in 2019.

Over the past couple of years, the likes of Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) have seemingly cut ties with Rowling, condemning the author’s “beliefs” while offering their full support to the trans community. Others, however, such as Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Ralph Fiennes (Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort), have defended Rowling, calling some of the backlash “disgusting”.

Luna Lovegood wearing her Quibbler glasses in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince — Credit: Warner Bros.

In the wake of the vile knife-attack on fellow author Salmon Rushdie last year, Rowling became the victim of death-threats, which led to Warner Bros. announcing their full support of the author, which also came after rumors they had cut ties with her due to her views on gender identity, something they confirmed was not the case.

Now, while the dust has settled on the Hogwarts Legacy discourse, it seems it’s starting all over again, which, of course, has everything to do with news that Harry Potter is being rebooted in the form of a television series. But while there are plenty who understandably condemn the idea of a reboot because it’s, frankly, “riddikulus“, and if anything, completely premature, there are those who oppose the reboot due to JK Rowling’s views.

Harry Potter screaming "he was their friend" in Prisoner of Azkaban — Credit: Warner Bros.

Well, not one to stay quiet, Rowling has responded to early signs of the boycotting of the Harry Potter reboot by issuing a very sarcastic response on Twitter.

Rowling will serve as executive producer on the new series, which is said to be a “faithful adaptation” of the seven Harry Potter books, spanning seven seasons, one for each book. And obviously her involvement isn’t going down well with fans, who are no doubt the same people who boycotted Hogwarts Legacy.

On Friday April 21, she took to Twitter to address the boycott, writing the below tweet, which is likely to throw fuel to the fire:

“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.”

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.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 21, 2023

Rowling is clearly unfazed by any attempts to stop a new Harry Potter installment, but is this tweet really necessary? Isn’t it just more mud-slinging? At the end of the day, the only one that will continue to get its name dragged through the mud is Harry Potter.

Check out the official teaser for the Harry Potter reboot below, which also hasn’t gone down well with fans due to its total lack of originality:

Meanwhile, there are rumors of a ninth Harry Potter film being in development, and it was also recently announced that Hogwarts Legacy is already getting a follow-up in the form of brand-new game Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (TBA)

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions of Hogwarts Legacy are on sale now. There’s currently no release date for HBO’s Harry Potter series or Quidditch Champions.

What do you think of JK Rowling’s latest comments? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!