The original cast of Harry Potter will never reunite due to author JK Rowling’s transphobia; director opens up

“It’s never going to happen,” Columbus told The Times U.K.. “It’s gotten so complicated with all the political stuff. Everyone in the cast has their own opinion, which is different from her opinion, which makes it impossible.”

The “her” he’s referring to is, of course, author J.K. Rowling (60). Over the past few years, Rowling has courted widespread backlash for her transphobic views, often using social media to argue against trans rights. Earlier this year, she even celebrated a controversial U.K. Supreme Court ruling that declared trans women should not be recognised as women under the law and that “sex” should legally mean biological sex.

Columbus, who directed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), had once championed the idea of adapting Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for the screen with the original trio. But he admitted the project has collapsed under the weight of Rowling’s views and the fractured relationships they’ve created. “It’s never going to happen,” he reiterated.

The director has also made it clear he does not share Rowling’s stance. “I haven’t spoken to Miss Rowling in a decade or so, so I have no idea what’s going on with her,” he said, making his distance from the controversy clear.

Still, his bond with the actors who grew up on set remains strong. “I keep very close contact with Daniel Radcliffe and I just spoke to him a few days ago,” Columbus shared. “I still have a great relationship with all the kids in the cast.”

For fans, the news may sting — especially given how formative the films were for an entire generation. But with Rowling doubling down on her rhetoric and the cast largely united in their rejection of her views, it seems the dream of a Hogwarts reunion will remain firmly in the realm of fantasy.