This is the year of JK Rowling's triumph and it is such a joy to watch
She later gave her support to Maya Forstater, a researcher who had been sacked for posting her belief that someone cannot change biological sex. Writing on her website, Rowling wrote: 'I knew perfectly well what was going to happen when I supported Maya. I must have been on my fourth or fifth cancellation by then. I expected the threats of violence, to be told I was literally killing trans people with my hate, to be called c--- and b---- and, of course, for my books to be burned, although one particularly abusive man told me he'd composted them.'
Since then, Rowling has endured many more threats and insults. She is the queen 'Terf' (trans exclusionary radical feminist) – the insult the trans lobby coined for people who don't accept that men can be women just by saying so. (Terf has become a badge of pride among those with the label; and Britain, for a time, was known among fans as Terf Island).
As the mass drubbing in public really took off after 2020, she found that even the young actors whose careers she made – the stars of the Harry Potter franchise – had turned against her,coming out with sanctimonious statements about how 'trans women are women' and how 'Jo' had got it wrong.
Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the films, sniped that trans people 'are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned'. Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter himself, said that he was 'really sad' at the rupture caused by Rowling's stance. Eddie Redmayne – who starred in Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts – was the most sanctimonious. 'I disagree with Jo's comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.'
But the great Rowling has won: she bravely hoisted the mad world on her shoulders and shifted it to saner ground. The Cass Report drew a line in the sand about puberty-blockers and the clinics that prescribe them: they are no longer routinely offered in Britain. And as the hailstorm of adolescent girls transitioning to boys and seeking body-altering surgery to that effect has slowed, some of them are 'detransitioning', realising that their apparent gender dysphoria was more to do with other issues from undiagnosed autism to lesbianism. In the US, the new administration has declared war on the trans lobby.
Without her bravery in speaking the truth bluntly, to politicians, Twitter terrorists and journalists – as well as that of her coterie of close friends, including the Telegraph writers Julie Bindel and Suzanne Moore – the right of biological women to spaces reserved for them would never have been recaptured. Biological men can no longer compete in most women's sport. Most people would have surrendered to the sustained assault on their mental health and basic safety. But she endured. In refusing to kowtow to the trans lobby, she has made it OK, and less dangerous, to say true things of vital importance.
And now, despite the original cast's intolerable ingratitude, despite a whole generation of trans activists pretending she is the devil incarnate, there is now a new Harry Potter series – made for HBO this time – scheduled to hit screens in 2027 and set to air over the course of a decade. More than 31,000 children sent in audition tapes.
It wasn't quite the case that she was ostracised. Rowling has written about the outpouring of letters from people who were grateful to her for speaking up about what they also recognised was a terrifying and pervasive trend: the denial of women's sex-based rights, and all that that entailed. It meant allowing self-identifying 'women' into women's changing rooms, prisons, and hospital wards.
Rosie Duffield, the Canterbury MP who quit Labour in part over its stance on trans rights, was and is one of Rowling's most steadfast supporters.
And there's her tight knit buddies – Bindel, Moore, also ex-Sussex philosophy professor Kathleen Stock and Maya Forstater – known to the world after they posted pictures of themselves having a Terf-themed lunch at the River Cafe in 2022.
Their loyalty to Rowling is legendary: all are tight-lipped about the friendship. But it's obvious from her sauciness that 'Jo' is good fun. I enjoyed her response to the prospect of a two-year jail term for misgendering a trans person, imagined under the (then) forthcoming Labour government.
'Bring on the court case, I say. It'll be more fun than I've ever had on a red carpet.'
As for her preferred prison job: 'Hoping for the library, obviously, but I think I could do OK in the kitchens. Laundry might be a problem. I have a tendency to shrink stuff/turn it pink accidentally. Guessing that won't be a major issue if it's mostly scrubs and sheets, though.'
The Harry Potter books came out while I was an undergraduate, and a recent attempt to read one backfired: I hated it. No matter: Rowling is one of the greats, whether you think it's for her world of wizards, or the way she forced a bit of sanity back on a culture that is distinctly short on it.
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What is new, according to Lehmiller, is how comfortable Gen Z feels about publicly and vocally disapproving of these relationships ― even on people's personal Instagram pages. (Aaron and Sam Taylor-Johnson recently spoke out against the 'bizarre' online judgment they've received. Eilish and Rutherford brushed off the criticism from overly concerned fans by dressing up as a baby and an old man one Halloween.) 'To some in Gen Z, age-gap relationships read as being inherently exploitative because they perceive age discrepancies as necessarily creating a power imbalance that favors the older partner,' Lehmiller told HuffPost. What's also changed is which parties tend to receive the brunt of the judgment. In the past, people were often scornful of both the younger and older partners in these relationships. Historically, the younger partners, especially when they were women, endured labels like 'gold digger' ― with the implication that they were the ones doing the exploiting. That terminology doesn't always fly with Gen Z. 'That perception seems to have largely disappeared when you look at what Gen Z is saying,' Lehmiller noted. 'They seem to cast the younger partners as victims who are being preyed upon or 'groomed.'' Gigi Engle, a certified sex and relationship psychotherapist and resident intimacy expert for dating app 3Fun, worries that the term 'grooming' is being overapplied and losing its meaning. 'The narrative is really toxic here and in many other cases,' she told HuffPost. ' Trans people are groomers, gay people are groomers, older people dating younger people are groomers ― and this just isn't accurate. It's a really fear-mongering time we live in.' Gen Z may be hyperfocused on this because of their age: If you're a 35-year-old woman, you're probably less hung up on the idea of a 50-year-old guy expressing interest in you. 'I think younger people may be more susceptible to manipulation and are therefore more afraid of it,' Engle said. 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'When I was around 21 and 22, I tried talking to guys who were 30 and over, but soon realized it wasn't right,' she told HuffPost. 'They had so much more life experiences than me, and it was awkward being from different generations.' Layla said she'd tried to joke and laugh about certain things ― a meme or a TikTok video ― and got a lot of blank stares. She wasn't a fan of their humor, either: Men recounting the umpteenth Seinfeld episode or that one Step Brothers scene gets a little old after a while. 'Trying to relate to one another just didn't work out, and it felt awkward and wrong,' she said. 'I believe a relationship between an 18- and 25-year-old is problematic,' Layla said, noting that this applies regardless of gender. 'I actually wish women got called out for their predatory behavior, too,' she said. 'It almost seems like no one wants to hold women accountable.' 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'So arguably I have a better financial and career outlook that would make me the 'abusive one,' if you're using that language.' Age gaps may be more common in the queer community, Rei said. 'I don't know a gay guy who hasn't been with someone much older than him,' they said. 'It's just normal to us.' Problematic dynamics can exist no matter the age. 'People now don't know what grooming is and just use the term as synonymous with age gaps,' Rei said. To some extent, Rei sees the hubbub over age gaps as an overcorrection of the mores ushered in by the #MeToo movement. 'People overadjust and assume that any relationship out of the norm is abusive,' they said. 'In my experience, people who feel age gaps are problematic are also the same people who argue the internet is harmful and should be censored because they had a bad experience as a kid. Your experience isn't universal.' For Amelia, 24, actual age matters less than the stage of life you're in. 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This is 30 years after the publication of the first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (also known as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"). It's also 16 years after the final film, 2011's, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two". How Many Season Will There be in the Harry Potter TV Series The series will have seven seasons. In February 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed the series will run for seven seasons, with each one based off a "Harry Potter" book. Since the running length of each episode combined will span more total time than the films, you're in for a more detailed show that really dives into Rowling's created universe. The series is expected to take ten years to complete, from season one to season seven. Ralph Fiennes in Harry Potter Ralph Fiennes in Harry Potter Warner Bros Who is the New Harry Potter Actor? 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin replaces Daniel Radcliffe as the acting playing Harry Potter. 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Nick Frost features in Harry Potter Nick Frost features in Harry Potter HBO Who is the New Hagrid Actor in the Harry Potter TV Series? Nick Frost is the new Hagrid. Famous for his role in "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", the actor in full costume looks incredibly similar to Robbie Coltrane's version from the Harry Potter movies. "While I'm really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie [Coltrane]'s amazing performance, I'm never going to try and be Robbie," Frost tells Collider. "I'm going to try and do something, not 'different. I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there's scope for minutia." "I always read Hagrid as he's like a lovely, lost, violent, funny, warm child," Frost continued. "I think the beauty of being able to do a book a season means I get to explore that a lot more, and I can't wait. He's funny! I want it to be funny and cheeky and scared and protective and childlike." Harry Potter TV Series Cast The "Harry Potter" cast is now locked in - the show has already begun filming. Every major character has been confirmed (Voldemort aside). This includes Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander. John Lithgow plays Dumbledore, Janet McTeer is Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu plays Severus Snape. Here's the full cast list. Dominic McLaughlin – Harry Potter Alastair Stout – Ron Weasley Arabella Stanton – Hermione Granger John Lithgow – Albus Dumbledore Paapa Essiedu – Severus Snape Janet McTeer – Minerva McGonagall Nick Frost – Rubeus Hagrid Paul Whitehouse – Argus Filch Luke Thallon – Quirinus Quirrell Lox Pratt – Draco Malfoy Bel Powley – Petunia Dursley Daniel Rigby – Vernon Dursley Katherine Parkinson – Molly Weasley Alessia Leoni – Parvati Patil Leo Earley – Seamus Finnigan Bertie Carvel – Cornelius Fudge Rory Wilmot – Neville Longbottom Amos Kitson – Dudley Dursley Louise Brealey – Madam Rolanda Hooch Anton Lesser – Garrick Ollivander Where is Harry Potter Being Filmed? The show is being shot at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, UK. This is also where the eight "Harry Potter" movies were also shot, suggesting the series is going for a similar look and feel. Who is Making the Harry Potter TV Show? The same company behind the Harry Potter films is making the Harry Potter TV show: Warner Bros. Mark Mylod, executive producer, will direct multiple episodes. They've previously helmed episodes of "Succession", "Game of Thrones", "The Last of Us", "Shameless", and "The Affair". The showrunner is Francesca Gardiner. They have writing credits on "Succession" and "His Dark Materials". How to Watch the Harry Potter TV Series? You can watch the "Harry Potter" TV series on HBO and HBO Max when it premiers in 2027. Before then you can stream all eight of the original films, along with the three "Fantastic Beasts" movies, and various specials like the "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts" reunion.
