J.K. Rowling reviews first two episodes of upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ series

JK Rowling. Pic/AFP

There have been mixed reactions to the announcement of the Harry Potter series by HBO with a whole new cast. Now, the original author J.K. Rowling has stepped in to lend her support to the HBO series. As the series nears a production start date, J.K. Rowling took to her X to give the series her full-blown support while reviewing the first two episodes.

JK Rowling supports Harry Potter series

She confirmed that she's "worked closely with the extremely talented writers" on the show, although she will not be getting any writing credits herself like she has on the ‘Fantastic Beasts' movies, reports ‘Variety'.

Rowling wrote on her X, "I read the first two episodes of the forthcoming HBO ‘Harry Potter' series and they are SO, SO, SO GOOD (sic)".

About JK Rowling and the Harry Potter series

As per ‘Variety', HBO made it clear from the beginning that Rowling would be involved in some capacity with bringing her iconic literary series back to life on screen, this time as a television series, where each book is set to cover one season of TV. Network CEO Casey Bloys previously told reporters that Rowling was "very, very involved in the process" of selecting showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod to lead the charge on the ‘Harry Potter' TV series.

Rowling has courted controversy since 2020 for regularly sharing beliefs on social media that many believe are transphobic. The author also uses platforms like X to regularly troll her critics and take aim at public figures such as slamming John Oliver's comments on trans athletes.

Both HBO and the new ‘Harry Potter' cast have received backlash for getting into business with Rowling due to her anti-trans posts. Bloys has said that Rowling's anti-trans statements "haven't affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff" for the show. He appeared on ‘The Town' podcast in May and stressed to "Harry Potter" fans that the network's upcoming series will not be "infused" with Rowling's controversial views on the transgender community.

Meet the new cast of Harry Potter

Stepping into the shoes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout.

Welcoming the newest cast onboard, the makers wrote on Instagram, "Dear Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley: We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please welcome Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley to the HBO Original Series Harry Potter."

According to reports, HBO's open casting call saw over 30,000 actors audition for the lead roles. The final star-studded cast also includes John Lithgow (Conclave, The Crown) as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, The White Queen) as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Gangs of London) as Severus Snape, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon (Leopoldstadt, Patriots) as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show, Harry & Paul) as Argus Filch.

(with inputs from IANS)