HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot Could Finally Bring the Series’ Only Trans Character to Screen — And J.K. Rowling Won’t Be Thrilled

Harry Potter just hit a crossroads it has been tiptoeing around for years. A trans character quietly entered the Wizarding World in a project J.K. Rowling didn’t touch, fans mostly said 'yeah, that works,' and now HBO is cooking up its big Harry Potter series. The question writes itself: what happens if that kind of inclusion shows up in the new adaptation while Rowling is still in the mix?

The Hogwarts Legacy wrinkle that changed the conversation

Sirona Ryan shows up in Hogwarts Legacy, and she is the franchise’s first openly trans character. That matters for two reasons: she is introduced without fanfare, and Rowling had no hand in the game. Avalanche Software developed it independently, which gave the team room to make choices that reflect current audiences instead of older creative guardrails.

Sirona’s identity is woven in so casually that some players might miss it. As flagged by Forbes, she mentions that former classmates needed a moment to catch up to who she is:

'Took them a second to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard.'

Set in the 1800s, Sirona fits right in as a respected Hogsmeade business owner. No big reveal, no wink at the camera—just a character who feels like she belongs. And fans largely embraced her, which suggests the Wizarding World can evolve without snapping the internal logic of the original books.

HBO’s reboot vs. Rowling’s stance

Now comes the tricky part. HBO is developing what sounds like the most ambitious Harry Potter adaptation yet, a full-on series reboot of the books. With that scale comes expectations—chief among them, more visible, modern inclusion. The original novels started hitting shelves over 25 years ago; the cultural conversation around gender and identity has moved a long way since then. Any new version has to account for that if it wants to speak to a new generation.

Rowling, however, is involved as an executive producer. Trade chatter and social posts have framed her role as ensuring the show stays faithful to her books, but she won’t be the showrunner. That puts the adaptation in a tight spot: bringing in a character like Sirona—or any openly trans character—would directly run into Rowling’s current public position on gender, which has been heavily criticized and continues to color how fans judge new Wizarding World projects.

The balancing act ahead

This is the needle the series has to thread: honor the core text without feeling like it is locked to late-90s ideas about who gets to be part of the story. If the reboot is meant to reintroduce Harry Potter to an audience that expects broader representation, it has to navigate Rowling’s influence with care. People will be watching closely—not just for casting and tone, but for who is allowed to exist on screen.

• Hogwarts Legacy introduced Sirona Ryan, the Wizarding World’s first openly trans character, in a story J.K. Rowling did not work on.
• Sirona’s identity is implied in dialogue—most notably the line above highlighted by Forbes—and she is portrayed as a respected Hogsmeade business owner in the 1800s setting.
• Fans largely welcomed the character, showing the canon can stretch without breaking.
• HBO’s Harry Potter series has Rowling aboard as an executive producer focused on fidelity to the books; she is not the showrunner.
• Adding openly trans characters to the new show would directly test Rowling’s publicly stated views, which have drawn widespread criticism and shaped fan perceptions of new projects.
• All original Harry Potter films are currently streaming on HBO Max, and HBO’s reboot is expected in 2027.

So, are you in for the new series as-is, or do Rowling’s views make you tap out? Curious where you land.