Though she continues to garner backlash, Warner Bros. is standing by Rowling has been under fire for the past few years over her controversial opinions regarding sex and gender, having shown for those holding transphobic beliefs, including Maya Forstarter. Rowling has also drawn criticism for her comments regarding same-sex relationships as well as seemingly anti-feminist ideals.
In spite of these controversies, Rowling has continued working with Warner Bros. to branch out the Wizarding World franchise, including the Fantastic Beasts films. The Harry Potter prequels are expected to run across five films, with Rowling having penned the first two installments herself and the most recent chapter with franchise vet Steve Kloves. While the future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise currently remains in limbo, it doesn't look like the studio will be parting ways with Rowling any time soon.
In honor of a new addition to the Warner Bros. studio tour in London, Tom Felton spoke with Sky News, though the journalist interviewing the star was cut off while asking about J.K. Rowling and her controversies. The publicists behind the interview came out with a statement claiming that the author was neither connected to Warner Bros. or Felton any longer. Warner Bros. has since released a statement to Variety in defense of Rowling and indicating their relationship is ongoing. See the studio's statement below:
“Warner Bros. has enjoyed a creative, productive and fulfilling partnership with J.K. Rowling for the past 20 years. She is one of the world’s most accomplished storytellers, and we are proud to be the studio to bring her vision, characters and stories to life now — and for decades to come. On Monday, a statement was issued by a third-party media agency that appeared contrary to this view. The statement was wholly wrong, and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London regrets it happened as part of a media event that day.”
Warner Bros' defense of J.K. Rowling is sure to divide a lot of Harry Potter fans who have since turned on the author due to her controversial opinions. Audiences aren't the only ones who have spoken out against Rowling's opinions, with many Harry Potter stars also coming out to criticize her statements, including Daniel Radcliffe, who penned an essay published by The Trevor Project stating that "Transgender women are women" and that neither he nor Rowling had the expertise necessary to make any kind of statement to the contrary. That being said, there are a select few celebrities who have shown their for the Harry Potter author, including Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes, who has called the backlash "disturbing," and Dave Chappelle, who spoke in her favor in his 2021 Netflix special The Closer.
Many audiences believed WB to be distancing themselves from Rowling in recent years, including her notable absence from the Harry Potter reunion special and Kloves stepping in to co-write the script for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Much like their new statement in defense of the Harry Potter author, WB has noted her absence from the HBO Max special was due to her not wanting to take part in it while also continuing their work on expanding the franchise based on her novels. Though with the most recent Fantastic Beasts installment again scoring mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike and underperforming at the box office, it will be interesting to see how this partnership between Rowling and WB continues amidst her ongoing controversies.
Source: Variety
