Trailer for new Harry Potter series

[ItsCoolForCats]

The trailer for the new Harry Potter series has been released. In its write up, the Guardian of course had to have a dig about JK Rowling's "anti-transgender views" 🙄

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/25/harry-potter-tv-series-trailer

It got me thinking, this series will run for about ten years, and I wonder if the perception of JKR will have shifted by the end. Will people (including so called journalists) be able to discuss the substance of what she has said, rather than just shouting "Bigot!", "Transphobe!" etc.

There was an interview with Paapa Essiedu in the Times recently, where he said he hasn't spoken to JKR, he doesn't regret signing the letter condemning the Supreme Court ruling and would do it again.

He said "“My points of view are mine and will continue to be so. I signed that letter because I believe that artists in the trans community have a right to be treated with dignity and should be able to work without being intimidated. I have been really supported by the production team and I’d sign that letter again today.”

If he actually spoke to JKR, he might be surprised to find that she would agree with him that people should be treated with dignity in the workplace and shouldn't be intimidated. I think it goes to show that he, like others, doesn't have a very good understanding of what this is about at all. Doesn't stop them sticking the boot into JKR though...

www.thetimes.com/article/8b7a7b6c-8e6e-4eef-bf45-69bb76a52f9d?shareToken=abbccd1782106049bcb5f5f3210ebc4c

I've watched 2 more video essays discussing the new HP trailer and the potential therein for letting us guess what the series might be like. Thought I'd stick links here for anyone else who likes to listen to videos while doing other tasks 🙂

It comes back to the same issue with Andrew Garfield. I think there is always a risk when you demonstrate your personal politics at work. PE has chosen to share his personal politics openly and as a result I wouldn't feel safe working with somone who openly supports forcing women to share their single sex spaces with a male. I wonder why the pro-trans activists currently have the industry that actors have to self-insure by picking publically picking a side.

On a personal note, I didn't think the movies were very good at all. They missed so much of what made the wizarding world a rich fantasy and the intricate foibles of the characters. I was looking forward to a more in depth adapatation, and even though AR is a fantastic actor he was physically all wrong for Snape. Someone says that Tom Hiddleston would be a perfect pick and I completely agree.

In terms of trans, I think the acting profession was always going to be very vulnerable to it - women are trained to have low boundaries, to wear revealing costumes and strip off in public/change costumes in the wings, expected to meet men’s sexual desires in return for promotion/film roles. This is just another version of the casting couch.