‘Black Mirror’ Director Says She Rejected HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’: “Absolutely F***ing Not”

Two directors revealed on social media that they declined opportunities to direct episodes of HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series over author J.K. Rowling ‘s trans views.

First, writer-director Ally Pankiw ( Black Mirror , Ponies ) took to Instagram to post a screenshot of an apparent text-message exchange with her agent where she was asked if she would be interested in the high-profile fantasy series.

“I have an instinct on the answer but I feel compelled to ask,” the unnamed agent wrote. “ Harry Potter ? Hard no?” Related Stories TV Nicholas Hoult Boards 'Harry Potter' Season 2 as Gilderoy Lockhart TV Another 'Harry Potter' Star Rejects J.K. Rowling's Trans Views: "Strongly Disagree"

Pankiw shot back: “Absolutely fucking not! lol… (But thank you for asking).”

To which the agent replied, “Of course 🙂 … I assumed as much… (And agree).”

Pankiw added in the comments: “It simply is this easy to say ‘no’ to funding transphobia.”

The post inspired director Kate Herron ( Loki , Doctor Who ) to write in the comments, “They’ve asked me twice and I’ve had to explain my answer is never going to change from a ‘no.'”

Pankiw added in her Story, “Also want to shout out the amazing @herronthatkate who also said ‘no’ … twice! And that’s actually hard!”

The disclosures mark a rare instance of prominent behind-the-scenes creatives revealing they turned down a major upcoming studio production to protest a person involved in the project. An HBO representative for the show had no immediate comment.