Director Lilly Wachowski, who transitioned nearly twenty years ago, has publicly called for a boycott of the upcoming Harry Potter series. The first season of the project is scheduled to premiere on HBO on December 25.
In an interview with Variety, the Matrix director claimed that J.K. Rowling is allegedly “funding a transgender genocide.” According to Lilly Wachowski, a portion of the money consumers spend on these products goes to J.K. Rowling and is used to support anti‑transgender legislation worldwide. She added that continued support for the series “contributes to her erasure.”
Lilly Wachowski likened boycotting Harry Potter to refusing to buy Tesla vehicles if one opposes Elon Musk, or to cutting gasoline consumption out of concern for global warming.
Accusations and Rowling’s response
Lilly Wachowski also labeled J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk as “Nazis in the literal sense of the word.” She argued that the international community must defend itself against the USA, where, in her view, Nazi‑style propaganda has become so widespread that it threatens global safety. Wachowski called on countries to combat hate speech and, where possible, shut down the platforms that spread it.
In response, J.K. Rowling‘s agent Neil Blair said the author, through the J.K. Rowling’s Charitable Trust, supports women in the United Kingdom who are taking legal action to protect rights guaranteed by the Equality Act 2010, rights he says are often ignored or jeopardised. He stressed that Rowling does not back legal actions aimed at harming transgender people or attempts to curtail their rights.
J.K. Rowling herself called Lilly Wachowski‘s remarks “seriously defamatory.” She said everyone has the right to disagree with her, but such serious defamatory claims—including the Nazi comparison and references to a genocide—should not be presented as established facts when, in her words, they are fabricated and lack any basis.
Series production details
The first season of the series, developed by Francesca Gardiner and John Brown, will adapt the opening book of J.K. Rowling‘s saga — Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Filming took place last spring in the United Kingdom at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, the same location used for the franchise’s well‑known films.
The music for the series is being composed by Hans Zimmer. This is a difficult task, as the iconic scores by John Williams for the Harry Potter films have become an essential part of the young wizard’s image for many fans.
Source: BFMTV
