In just three years, everything has changed a hell of a lot. The world has become sourer, nastier, less kind to anyone who wants to keep moving forward without looking back. And I think nothing exemplifies it better than the last two major Harry Potter projects: Hogwarts Legacy and the HBO Max series. While the former announced with great fanfare that JK Rowling had nothing to say about its development, the latter has done the exact opposite. Why? Well, because that’s which way the wind is blowing: toward reaction.
What a rowll
Although many celebrities, faced with online backlash, have decided to do a 180 and learn from their mistakes, the Harry Potter author has dug in on her transphobic views and her hate speech. And what used to be reason enough not to buy anything related to her is now reason to do exactly that. That’s how it is: the internet is rougher than sandpaper.
When Casey Bloys, head of HBO, was asked whether Rowling’s controversial views have created any difficulties for the show, he answered clearly: “Not even a little bit”. What’s more: when he was later asked whether she was still developing the series alongside them, he replied “Yes, absolutely”. I just want to remind you that its merger with Paramount, a bastion of the far right in the media, still hasn’t happened. And we’re already at this point.
By the way, he also confirmed that we can forget about seeing a new season every year, because they don’t have time to make them… but they won’t take two years to make them either. So yes, the kids will indeed have Stranger Things syndrome by the time this thing ends in, if we’re lucky, 2034 or 2035. Who knows what we’ll think of Rowling by then, of course. That’s what they’re counting on.
