The last day of March, the day before April Fools, is now set aside as ‘National Transgender Day of Visibility.’ This year the Supreme Court of the United States marked 31 March with a near unanimous decision in Chiles vs Salazar (!) that a Colorado law which forbade so-called “conversion therapy” was unconstitutional; Kaley Chiles, a Christian counselor in the Rocky Mountain state is again free to “help gender-confused children become comfortable with their own bodies instead of pursuing irreversible transgender medical procedures.”

On the same day, Megan Brock posted ‘She Spoke Out On Gender Ideology And Became A Global Target: Transgender Day of Visibility is a perfect day to celebrate a real woman: J.K. Rowling‘ at The Daily Wire. Brock reviewed the history of Rowling’s courageous stand against TRAs and Gender Ideology Extremists. She placed special emphasis on the 2020 essay that created both an avalanche of nonsense about the Harry Potter author being “transphobic” and the cancellation of anyone and everyone in Rowling Studies who took the same position. Brock concludes her ‘Trans Day of Visibility’ post this way: [Read more…]

The new Harry, Ron, and Hermione have been cast for the HBO+ and Bronte Studios adaptations of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.

From the author’s website, JKRowling.com:

The HBO Original HARRY POTTER television series has cast screen newcomers Dominic McLaughlin in the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

Francesca Gardiner (Showrunner, Executive Producer) and Mark Mylod (Director of multiple episodes, Executive Producer) said:

‘After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.’

Rowling, an executive producer for the adaptation (not to mention her ownership of Bronte Studios), tweeted about the casting:

Which response generated a Daily Mail article of its own, ‘J K Rowling gives decisive four-word verdict on new Harry Potter child stars fronting TV series.’ MuggleNet, which seems to have forgotten its aversion to all things profiting Rowling, Inc., because of her supposed “bigotry” and “transphobia,” has posted a stream of articles about the teevee adaptation casting decisions as well as the Universal Epic Theme Park’s Wizarding World attractions which opened this week in Orlando.

Team Rowling invited MNet to the opening so it seems they have been brought back into the fold and their all-in condemnations of Rowling’s Gender Critical feminism have been memory-holed. Emma, Rupert, and Daniel should be so lucky…

Three quick thoughts on the casting choices:

(1) Black Hermione? Read all about it at Horse and Whip’s ‘Arabella Stanton’s Parents: What to Know About Her Ethnicity and Race.’ The Daily Mail came at the issue side-ways to dodge the racism charge in their piece, ‘Stunned Harry Potter fans claim new Hermoine star Arabella Stanton is spitting image of huge Hollywood actress – gasping ‘I can’t unsee it now!‘ (That would be Jenny Ortega.)

I’ve written what I want to say on the subject of diversity casting in ‘‘Black Severus’ versus ‘Black Hermione:’ Similarities and Differences in Casting.’ I’d only add what many others have said about the new Golden Trio; one can only hope that their parents and guardians of these children have carefully considered what their accepting these roles will mean for the rest of their lives and that they will do everything possible to protect them from the madness that will be the actors’ day-to-day life for the next decade.

(2) Rowling’s Birthday Resurrection It’s been quite the fortnight in Rowling Land.

First, the Sunday Times published a not quite hagiographic but certainly laudatory article, ‘JK Rowling: ‘Nobody who hasn’t been poor can understand what it means.’ It is a detailed review of the author’s more than generous philanthropy with respect to causes ranging from orphan children, women needing funding to seek judicial action in the Trans Wars, medical research, and a women-only shelter.

Then Hallmarked Man’s cover was released to the delight of all Cormoran Strike readers.

Then the Universal Epic theme park opened which excites that part of fandom that enjoys the 3D experience of the Wizarding World.

And then the Golden Trio casting was announced, the three players that Harry Potter screen fans are most interested in and excited about.

Rowling celebrates her 60th birthday at the end of July. I think the gods are smiling on her, the stars are coming into alignment, or the plans carefully laid out by the trio giants of Rowling’s marketing team are coming together so that this landmark celebration will see as much of a full-on rehabilitation of the author’s public image as is possible. It certainly helps that she has won the Trans Wars, with the scientific community, court decisions, and public opinion now lining up behind her with respect to the fact that sex is fixed and binary and women’s places must be protected from trans-identifying men.

I think Rowling’s more than positive press in the last two weeks on all fronts is evidence of a coordinated campaign, i.e., her marketing team’s hard work, to restore her platinum status among celebrities. Good on them. There will be naysayers in the comment threads beneath articles about Rowling on 31 July because there is no pleasing everyone but the great majority will be notes of admiration from fans of her writing, her philanthropy, or of her feminism.

The timing of this casting news announcement, in other words, probably is best viewed as part of a larger project and as one that is progressing very well indeed.

(3) So What?

I like to end posts and podcasts with an answer to the question, “So What?” I want the reader or listener to walk away from the conversation we’ve been having with the key points I’ve covered and why it matters.

I cannot think of a single reason that anyone outside the families of the young actors involved should care about this casting announcement. Given the history of child actors since the invention of moving screened images, those families should be alarmed. Given the proven hysterics and volatility, which is to say “mental instability,” of Harry Potter fandom leadership and twitterati (cf. their Trans War long knives for any and all not chanting “T-W-A-W!”), they may soon wonder why they didn’t refuse HBO+’s offer.

Which is none of my business, I know.

What is my business as the “Dean of Harry Potter Scholars” (TM) is to discuss the artistry and meaning of the work written by the world’s most famous and influential writer, J. K. Rowling. She is also, as I’ll argue in a future post, the world’s most famous and influential philanthropist and the world’s most famous and influential feminist. The “So What?” of these discussions is that, man being the story-telling animal and Rowling’s being the most popular stories globally in human history, understanding why and how they work — their structure, symbolism, allegorical and anagogical substance — reveal important ideas and information via reflection on imaginative experience about what it means to be human.

Talking about twitter headers, speculating about the covers of not-yet-published books, fan-girl-ing pre-adolescent actors, planning vacations in Orlando to ride exteriorized and packaged experiences erasing your imagination’s picture or to attend fan conferences? I’ve done all that. I’ll take a pass on those efforts in the run-up to Rowling’s birthday.

What I hope to be sharing here before the end of July are my research into and conclusions about Rowling Studies ‘Fourth Generation’ subjects:

• What is the most persistent ‘golden thread’ that runs through everything Rowling writes?
• What ‘Lake’ event in Rowling’s younger life inspired her to write the Harry Potter stories?
• What are the points of intersection or places of overlap in the Venn diagram circles of Rowling’s three lives as writer, philanthropist, and feminist?
• Are Rowling’s signature characteristics as an author — the literary alchemy, ring writing, psychomachia, traditional symbolism, and intertextual notes (among others!) — best understood in relationship to one another or independently?
• Are the parallels between the Potter novels and their equivalent number in the Strike mysteries a playful game between author and serious reader or are they meaningful? And will there be parallels with other Rowling work in Galbraith numbers 8, 9, and 10?
• Just what kind of feminist is Rowling beyond “biology based” and “Gender Critical”? She’s outside the usual categories of “academic” and “movement” feminism as well; does she have a role-model, living likeness, or historical equivalent?
• Quo vadis, Joanna-Robertus? Extrapolating from Rowling’s recent experience of intentional solve et coagula transformation in the Trans Wars, what might the future hold for her?

That’s a lot, certainly, and it’s certainly a lot more interesting and important than HBO+ casting news from Rowling, Inc., marketing Headquarters. At least to me it is, but, sure, de gustibus. I’m still as interested as the next Serious Striker in ‘Who killed Leda?’ and ‘Is Robin sterile?’ but, until the Big Birthday Bash, I’m going to be focusing on the seven points above.

Stay tuned!