As Harry Potter reboot is plagued by death threats, cast drop outs and hounded by anti-JK Rowling activists, can HBO retain the magic on their bank-busting project?

When HBO announced their Harry Potter reboot they were determined to make the project a success, reportedly allowing a budget of up to $5.6billion over its planned 10-year, seven-season run.

Yet before the first season has even made it to air, the series has been plagued by a number of scandals, with drama said to be occurring on set, while away from the show anti-JK Rowling activists have vowed to boycott the project. 

This week, the show encountered another stumbling block when Nicholas Hoult backed out of his role as Gilderoy Lockhart.

It was announced less than a fortnight ago that the English Golden Globe nominee had been cast in the much-anticipated HBO remake.

But after a pile-on, he has pulled out of the project – blaming 'scheduling issues'. Kit Harington will play the part instead.

With HBO surging ahead with casting season two of the show, the Daily Mail looks at the biggest controversies to plague the series. 

Cast drop outs

While the original Harry Potter films proved to be lifechanging for many of the cast, those attached to the reboot risk damaging their reputations. 

That is, in the eyes of anti-Rowling activists, who have unleashed vitriol on the new cast members.

Potter author Rowling is a fierce defender of women's rights, but has been labelled transphobic by some campaigners. 

While she has not penned the script for the reboot, she serves as an executive producer.

About A Boy star Hoult, 36, is the latest star to drop out amid a growing backlash from trans campaigners. 

The news was announced by the Harry Potter social media pages, who merely stated: 'Before we begin year two at Hogwarts, there has been a slight change due to scheduling: Kit Harington will now be stepping into the role of Gilderoy Lockhart.'

Hoult has yet to provide any comment on why he withdrew from the series so abruptly. 

In May, the actress cast as Ginny Weasley also dropped out of the project due to 'unforeseen circumstances'.

Gracie Cochrane's family announced the news in a statement, penning: 'Due to unforeseen circumstances Gracie has made the challenging decision to step away from her role as Ginny Weasley in the HBO Harry Potter series after season one.

'Her time as part of the Harry Potter world has been truly wonderful, and she is deeply grateful to Lucy Bevan and the entire production team for creating such an unforgettable experience.

'Gracie is very excited about the opportunities her future holds.'

HBO added: 'We support Gracie Cochrane and her family's decision not to return for the next season of HBO's Harry Potter series, and we are grateful for her work on season one of the show. We wish Gracie and her family the best.'

JK Rowling controversy 

HBO was forced to step in last year when Rowling came under fire because of her views on gender identity. 

The company was inundated with complaints about Rowling's involvement, prompting them to release a statement defending her.

HBO said: 'We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter – the heartwarming books that speak to the power of friendship, resolve and acceptance. 

'JK Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.'

In recent years, Rowling has encountered backlash from key cast members of the original series. Her connection with the actors – including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint – as well as with Harry Potter fans, has deteriorated as the debate has grown more divisive.

Despite being the brains behind the storyline and working on the reboot, now even stars from the upcoming series have spoken out against her.  

Bel Powley – who plays Petunia Dursley in the series – has remained in her role but took a swipe at Rowling when questioned about accepting the part. 

In an interview with The Telegraph this month, Powley said: 'I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender. I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.' 

Yet she was quick to add: 'But I love Harry Potter. I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness.'

While she may have hoped her comments would placate the online criticism, it instead sparked the opposite, with the actress branded a 'hypocrite'. 

Rowling was also criticised by John Lithgow, who plays Albus Dumbledore. 

After his role was announced he told Variety that while he took the subject of Rowling's anti-trans views 'extremely seriously', he was 'perfectly ready for collisions of opinion' and 'understands' that not everyone will support his choice. 

Lithgow said: ‘She has created this amazing canon for young people, and it has jumped into the consciousness of the society, it’s about good versus evil, kindness versus cruelty.

‘I find her views ironic and inexplicable.

'It upsets me when people are opposed to me having anything to do with this. But in “Potter” canon, you see no trace of transphobic sensitivity.’

The actor also detailed that he had never met Rowling and that, despite her contributions to the HBO show, she was 'not really involved in its production'. 

Instead he heaped praise on the production staff as 'remarkable', as he concluded: 'It made me uncomfortable and unhappy that people insisted I walk away from the job. I chose not to do that.’

Again, his comments backfired, with Lithgow's own co-star turning on him. 

At the time of his remarks, Lithgow was promoting his 2025 movie Jimpa alongside non-binary actor Aud Mason-Hyde. 

Mason-Hyde was quick to call Lithgow out on his remarks as they hit out at their co-star and voiced disappointment over his decision to take the part. 

They said: 'He is such an incredibly talented actor, but also such a beautiful human to make work with, and that was my experience with John. I never felt invalidated or questioned or doubted in my identity or in my transness by him....

'I consistently felt that he was a very loving and a very guiding co-star. And so there's an element of this that feels vaguely hurtful...

'But also I think that he's making this decision after we had made the film and after we had premiered the film, can't take away from what we had and the time that we spent together and the beautiful work that he does in this movie and actually how incredibly authentically he played the role...

'It was definitely a difficult moment in time. I don't think it's worth speaking to John's reasoning by any means, but I do also think that it's a strange decision, for sure. And also I found it disconcerting, maybe, is the right word.'

Death threats sparked by colour-blind casting 

The original book series has come under fire in recent years for how it portrays ethnic minorities. 

However, the decision to cast British actor Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape in the upcoming series has also been slated after fans pointed out that casting a black actor in the role could lead to a change in the plot. 

The I May Destroy You star looks set to follow in the late Alan Rickman's footsteps, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.

Yet fans note the professor who is bullied by Harry Potter's father James during their years as students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As explained in Forbes: 'While being black or white may not be inherent to Snape’s character, Potter fans note that this will set up situations like James Potter bullying a young black kid in the ‘70s which are certainly not good optics and totally change the dynamics of the James/Lily/Snape storyline.'

Snape was also famously a member of the Death Eater group who followed a racist ideology that placed pure-blooded wizards at the top of a racial hierarchy. 

In an extreme turn of events, Essiedu said he has even faced death threats since his casting was announced, revealing racist trolls had warned him: 'Quit or I'll murder you.'

He told The Sunday Times in March: 'The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, "I'm going to come to your house and kill you." Nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. 

'Many people put their lives on the line in their work. I'm playing a wizard in Harry Potter. And I'd be lying if I said it doesn't affect me emotionally. But the abuse fuels me.

'And makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid. I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That's motivation to not be intimidated.'

He added that he hasn't actually reported any of the messages as it wouldn't make him feel any better to see anyone punished for it.

Following the death threats, HBO CEO Casey Bloys confirmed 'serious security' measures had been put in place to protect the cast. 

Speaking to Variety, he admitted that with all the fans' opinions it 'can get scary in places' and later told Deadline that the actors had been warned about encountering 'unpleasant and aggressive' behaviour from fans and were briefed on how to handle social media. 

Stealing on set 

Someone appears to have cast a vanishing spell on the set of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, as a number of props are said to have disappeared.

Production on the HBO adaptation has reportedly been forced to microchip all the broomsticks and magic wands, after thieves made off with a number of magical items.

According to reports, the crew discovered that several pumpkins, spell books, wands and even fake food had gone missing from Hogwarts' Great Hall during the filming of the famous Halloween feast scene.

And in a bid to prevent any more sticky fingers, posters are said to have been put up all around Warner Bros Studios, warning the cast and crew that props have been fitted with microchips so they can be tracked down.

One such poster obtained by The Sun can be seen to have been mocked up like a classic Harry Potter notice, with a drawing of a tagged broomstick and the words: 'Props on this production have been microchipped'.

It continues underneath: 'For inventory and security purposes props are being tracked daily and movement of props will be logged.

'If you need to take any prop off-set or away from its designated area, please seek approval from the Props Department first.

'If you notice any lost/misplaced items or anything out of place, please report it to the Props team so they can continue looking.'

But despite the amusing poster, bosses are said to be fuming about the thefts and have warned that anyone caught stealing will be in breach of contract and subsequently escorted off set.

'It’s easy to suspect the dozens of support actors on set, but truthfully no one knows who is responsible,' a source told the publication.

'Production bosses said they will be scouring eBay to make sure nothing is found for sale online. Anyone caught doing so will be punished and fired.'

Bullying Accusations 

The upcoming show has also been hit with 'alarming' accusations of bullying and claims two 12-year-old extras were spotted fighting on set. 

According to reports in March, bosses at Warner Brothers were forced to step in and issue warnings to both adults and children, as well as the threats of being booted from the show no matter how famous they may be.

A source said: 'There are a lot of youngsters on set at any one time, and the reality is that not everyone is going to get on. It's an alarming problem and bosses want to get rid of any bad eggs among the cast and crew.

'Bosses have issued warnings about behaviour. The bullying accusations have involved adults and children. It has been made clear that anyone reported for bullying will be immediately axed, no matter how famous they may be.'

The insider added to The Sun: 'Filming is going to last eight years and bosses are adamant that any inappropriate behaviour must be nipped in the bud. The reports of bullying have been treated incredibly seriously.' 

The original stars speak out 

Many were shocked when HBO announced their plans to reboot the film series, given they are still incredibly popular and have stood the test of time. 

Fans have complained that it's too soon to reboot the franchise, given it ended in 2011, while those still looking to immerse themselves in the wizarding world have had even more recent films to watch with the Fantastic Beasts series. 

The Harry Potter films are still regularly shown on TV and combined, the eight movies grossed more than £6billion at the box office. The Wizarding World has also inspired several gift shops, theme park attractions and a studio tour. 

And it isn't just fans who have questioned what the point is – but the stars from the original films.  

Miriam Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout in the acclaimed film series, previously enraged Potterheads by claiming they should be 'over' the book by now.

Despite insisting it was 'wonderful' and she was 'very grateful' to the franchise, the Bafta award-winning actress said adult fans should have moved on because it is 'for children'.

In an interview with New Zealand television network 1News, Miriam admitted: 'I worry about Harry Potter fans. They should be over that by now. It was 25 years ago and it's for children. I think it's for children.

'But they get stuck in it and I do cameos and people say 'Oh we are having a Harry Potter-themed wedding' and I think 'gosh what's their first night of fun going to be. I can't even think about it.

'Harry Potter is wonderful, I'm very grateful to it, it's over.'

Meanwhile, Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, questioned 'what's the point' of the reboot. 

He said after seeing the photos from the upcoming show he got déjà vu,  adding: 'I thought the costumes and everything was going to be different, but it’s more of the same. It’s all going to be the same.'