J.K. Rowling has responded after Harry Potter fans threatened to boycott the upcoming TV adaptation due to her involvement.
The best-selling author, 57, has sparked outrage in recent years due to her controversial comments about transgender people.
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Her comments, which have led to her being dubbed a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) have been criticised by fans of the Harry Potter franchise and the stars of the films.
After the long-gestating TV series was given the greenlight by MAX earlier this month, Potterheads were surprised to see that Rowling would executive produce the series despite the backlash against her views, which are widely considered to be anti-trans.
On Friday (21 April) Rowling took to Twitter to complain about the boycott threats she claims to have been sent by fans.
“Dreadful news,” her tweet begins. “Which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I've taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.”
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The viral tweet has been viewed over 7.4M times and has amassed more than 10,600 retweets and over 130,000 likes.
Rowling responded to some of the replies left by fans, with many of the tweets positive and in her favour. One person wrote: “You are our heroine in this conflict. JK’s Army perhaps? We will always be your online Defenders.”
“And I love you all for it more than I can say xxx,” Rowling replied to the tweet.
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Another fan said: “I want you to know that from Mexico we always support you, here you have many unconditional fans. You are our hero and our favourite author. We'll have a glass of champagne with you.”
A follower expressed their wish to see the trouble-making poltergeist Peeves in the TV adaptation and it sounds like fans are in for a treat.
“I can only hope to see Peeves,” they tweeted, to which Rowling gave the fan a glimmer of hope. “Honestly, that's at least 50% of the reason I wanted to do it,” she said.
Lots of fans are excited about Peeves, as one Potterhead replied: "My 10 yo daughter LOVES Peeves Haha! So do I, who began reading your stories as a high schooler in the 90's! I still read them now, along with dear daughter."
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Another Potterhead joked: “Now that one of the lads has moved out you can crash in our spare room if you’re stuck.”
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And it sounds like Rowling may be up for it, as she tweeted back: “Appreciate that. I do have my own sleeping bag.”
When the Harry Potter TV series was announced on 12 April, a statement shared by Rowling said she’s looking forward to exploring the ‘depth and detail’ of her books in a 'long form television series'.
The mum-of-three added: “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television."
Topics: TV and Film, JK Rowling, Harry Potter, News
Gregory Robinson