Warner Bros. is making it clear that they’re standing by J.K. Rowling despite the controversy that has surrounded the Harry Potter author since she made posts on social media that many felt were transphobic and TERF-y (trans-exclusionary radical feminist).
This all got stirred up again when Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, was speaking with Sky News at a London press event. The actor was asked about Rowling and before he could answer, an unnamed PR executive told the reporter to ask the next question. This made it appear that they were trying to dissociate Felton and Warner Bros. from Rowling but, when Sky News asked the PR company about why this happened, they received a response stating Rowling is “not connected to Warner or Tom Felton” which made the question “not relevant to the piece.” However, in a new statement released by Warner Bros., via Variety, they clarified this as false and that the studio continues to maintain a continued longstanding relationship with Rowling:
“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.”
Some have pointed out that Warner Bros. is seemingly picking and choosing who to stand by and who to cast aside. They’re sticking with J.K. Rowling but they dumped Johnny Depp from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore due to his very public legal battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard. That being said, even though Warner Bros. didn’t stand by Depp, J.K. Rowling did. She publicly stated that she would be “happy” to keep Depp in the role back in 2017. Here is what she said at the time on her official website:
“When Johnny Depp was cast as Grindelwald, I thought he’d be wonderful in the role. However, around the time of filming his cameo in the first movie, stories had appeared in the press that deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise. Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns about our choice to continue with Johnny Depp in the role. As David Yates, long-time Potter director, has already said, we naturally considered the possibility of recasting. I understand why some have been confused and angry about why that didn’t happen. Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies. I’ve loved writing the first two screenplays and I can’t wait for fans to see The Crimes of Grindelwald. I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. However, conscience isn’t governable by committee. Within the fictional world and outside it, we all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.”
Do YOU think Warner Bros. is right to stand by J.K. Rowling?