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Credit: Inside the MagicThe upcoming Harry Potter HBO series is rumored to be struggling to cast Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger, Ron Weasley, and other beloved Wizarding World characters due to transphobic comments from the franchise creator, J.K. Rowling.
Over the last few years, Rowling went down the anti-transgender rabbit hole on X (formerly Twitter). She started by “accidentally” liking a few transphobic posts but eventually openly condemned transgender women who wanted access to female spaces.
Most recently, Rowling was named in a harassment lawsuit by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. The Olympic gold medalist suffered an onslaught of cyberbullying after a match against Italian boxer Angela Carini, who withdrew after getting punched twice. Carini told the media it “wasn’t fair” and refused to shake Carini’s hand, though she later apologized.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) said Imane Khelif failed a “gender test,” though it refused to provide details of the alleged exam. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cut ties with the IBA over alleged financial misconduct and Russian influence. However, the IOC maintained that Khelif, who was born female and raised as a woman, was eligible to compete at the Olympics.
Rowling joined the crowd of people accusing Khelif of being a biological male. She claimed she wasn’t accusing the Olympian of being a transgender woman but simultaneously said that it wasn’t fair for her to compete in women’s sports.
Khelif remained focused on her matches until the end of the Paris Olympics. Immediately after, the Algerian boxer filed a legal complaint with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office (National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred). J.K. Rowling and X owner Elon Musk were among those named as perpetrators of online hatred against Khelif.
Attorneys filed the lawsuit against “X,” which signifies “unknown persons” under French law. This means that anyone who participated in cyberbullying against Khelif can be prosecuted and sentenced to anything from fines to jail time. The accused who don’t live in France could be extradited according to existing agreements between the Paris Prosecutor’s Office and international justice departments.
Before the lawsuit came to light, some former fans noticed that Rowling was unusually quiet on X. Many called for Khelif to sue the Wizarding World author for the rights to Harry Potter, arguing that the LGBTQIA+ community and allies would support projects like Hogwarts Legacy, the Fantastic Beasts franchise, and the upcoming HBO series if money weren’t going to Rowling.
This week, X user @mushycrouton claimed that HBO was metaphorically canceled among cast child actors in its Harry Potter remake series because their parents or talent management didn’t want to be associated with Rowling’s transphobic views. They wrote:
Rumour has it, they’re struggling to cast the leads in the HBO Harry Potter series. I hear they’re about to do open call auditions because they can’t secure child actors over Rowling’s views.
Rumour has it, they’re struggling to cast the leads in the HBO Harry Potter series. I hear they’re about to do open call auditions because they can’t secure child actors over Rowling’s views.
— Sam (he/him) (@mushycrouton) September 10, 2024
There could be truth to the rumor. Cast It Talent recently posted open calls for the HBO Harry Potter series. Children aged 9-11 in April 2025 and living in the United Kingdom or Ireland can audition for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermoine Granger.
Related: ‘Harry Potter’ Fans Banished From Diagon Alley, Told To Ask For Refund
Social media users took the opportunity to again call for J.K. Rowling to remove herself from the Harry Potter franchise. @arttavana wrote:
She should just sell Harry Potter and relinquish her control and/or association with those books. She’s no longer an author of fiction, certainly not of children’s stories, and so she should focus on her real passion: tweeting about trans people lol and sell off Potterdom.
She should just sell Harry Potter and relinquish her control and/or association with those books. She’s no longer an author of fiction, certainly not of children’s stories, and so she should focus on her real passion: tweeting about trans people lol and sell off Potterdom.
— Art Tavana (@arttavana) September 10, 2024
“Just toss her out publicly and give the pot to the people!” @fermiparasocks replied.
Just toss her out publicly and give the pot to the people!
— Colin Robinson (@fermiparasocks) September 10, 2024
Warner Bros. hosted limited open casting calls for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) before casting Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. The open casting notice doesn’t necessarily imply that HBO struggled to cast established actors as the young wizards.
Does J.K. Rowling impact your view on the Harry Potter franchise? Share your take with Inside the Magic in the comments.