JK Rowling will not be part of Harry Potter reunion special. Here's why
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Harry Potter reunion special will feature the cast and director but JK Rowling, on whose books the films are based, will not be part of the event.
It's been 20 years since Harry Potter and his wizarding world hit the big screen. To mark the 20th anniversary of the first film of the hit franchise 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', HBO max announced that the cast of the film would be coming together for a reunion.
The news, which was announced on Tuesday, was obviously welcomed by eager fans the world over.
Interestingly, while the announcement mentioned the names of almost the entire cast and crew of the film coming together, it did not mention writer JK Rowling's name. Rowling wrote the hugely successful 'Harry Potter' books- on which the films were based.
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So far no reason has been cited for Rowling's absence from the reunion but it is now a well-known fact that the author has faced a lot of bad press in the recent past.
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In 2020, Rowling faced major backlash for speaking out against the trans-inclusionary language used in an article that referred to people who menstruate instead of women.
The author had tweeted which suggest that the men who transition to women aren't truly women because the 'lived reality' of being a woman is inherently different to being born a man and then changing biological sex later in life.
Having faced severe backlash for her tweet, Rowling later clarified that she did support transgender people but the explanation came too late, many felt.
Her doubled downed comments were rebuked by her Harry Potter stars including actor Daniel Radcliffe.
"Transgender women are women," he said. "Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I."
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Emma Watson and Rupert Grint too spoke in support of the trans community.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will feature in HBO Max's 'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts'. The reunion will also feature Sorcerer's Stone director Chris Columbus, and actors Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Ian Hart.