J.K. Rowling has become a somewhat controversial figure due to her outspoken views on social media, and despite being the creator of the Wizarding World, we've seen her role in that diminish greatly in recent years. However, she remains heavily involved with Warner Bros.' Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Excluded from HBO Max's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts and edited out of Warner Bros.' 90-minute red carpet live stream for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (she was only shown in a sizzle reel), it's clear the studio isn't looking to put the Harry Potter creator at the forefront of any of its marketing plans for the threequel.
The Hollywood Reporter recently spoke to Mads Mikkelsen about taking over from Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, and the actor confirmed he never actually discussed the role with Rowling (despite her being the movie's co-writer). "It’s a fantastic, detailed, complex universe [Rowling’s] created," the actor said, "and I’d love to hear her thoughts on it. I hope I will do more than this one [film]."
One executive with close ties to Warner Bros. tells the trade that five movies was always overly ambitious for the Fantastic Beasts franchise and says, "he wouldn’t be surprised if the studio reworked its cinematic Wizarding World - assuming execs can figure out how to navigate its relationship with Rowling moving forward." That might be easier said than done, though.
Apparently, Rowling left the premiere without watching The Secrets of Dumbledore. There could be any number of reasons for that, but as Steve Kloves was tapped to work on this movie's screenplay with her after the last movie received negative reviews, we can't help but wonder if she's unhappy with the finished product...not to mention the way Warner Bros. has treated her recently.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is now playing in theaters.