Harry Potter film director Chris Columbus doesn't want to be involved in TV reboot - and calls JK Rowling controversy "very sad"

When he was asked whether he would be interested in being involved at all, he said: "No, I’ve done it, you saw my version. There’s nothing left for me to do in the world of Potter."

However, he was positive about the concept of rebooting the franchise, telling the publication: "The great thing about it is that with the first and second and third book, we wanted to do it all. We wanted to bring all of that onto the screen, and we didn’t have the opportunity."

Columbus recently told Radio Times about scenes and characters from the books he didn't get to include that he wishes he could have, including Peeves the poltergeist, a character who was notably cut from the films.

Columbus also gave his response to the controversy surrounding author Rowling, who has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights.

He said: "I like to sometimes separate the artist from the art, I think that’s important to do. It’s unfortunate, what’s happened. I certainly don’t agree with what she’s talking about. But it’s just sad, it’s very sad."

In 2020, Rowling published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.

Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”.

In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”.

Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.

The TV reboot of Harry Potter, which is filming now, is set to air on HBO starting in 2027, with each season of the show expected to adapt one of Rowling's books.

The Harry Potter series will air on HBO in 2027.

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