:::: One Part FANDOM RETROSPECTIVE, One Part ANALYSIS ::::
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play that premiered in London, 2016. It was met with praise by theatergoers and disdain, even hatred, by those who read the script. Today, there is a...
In November, a cover story in Entertainment Weekly kicked off the first glimpses of the real Harry Potter prequel, the film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander.
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Wait...does that say Newt Kid on the Block?Oh, honey. No no no. Anyway, give us the scoop!
'Fantastic Beasts': J.K. Rowling reveals the American word for 'Muggle'
Exclusive: Author's 'Fantastic Beasts' screenplay uses new term for New York setting
In shifting the franchise away from the U.K., author J.K. Rowling - who also wrote the movie's screenplay - is poised to introduce several new words into the Potterverse lexicon, and the most significant might be what Stateside wizards say instead of Muggle: "No-Maj" (pronounced "no madge," as in "no magic").
Really? Huh. That's weird. I might have to pretend that doesn't exist. But whatev, look at these pictures!!!
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So awesome. Squee! Heh. heh. No-maj, tho? Really? I just... Oh, forget it. Look! More!
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Ugh! Check out the costumes! I can tell they put a lot of thought into this. Look at the way that adorable woman is holding her wand. It's real! We're getting a new movie! So...could we maybe loop back around to that No-maj thing? Like, why aren't they just called Muggles? Sorry, sorry...I know I'm being stupid. MORE!
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The wizarding world was expanding and we were so excited. In fact, we started hugging strangers. The fandom was riding high on the fumes of future material. Which is why the newest controversy bummed us out, epically.
'Fantastic Beasts' producer responds to diversity criticism
The argument circulating the Twitter-sphere was that, as with the Harry Potter franchise, there was not an actor of color among the main cast of Fantastic Beasts. This came on the heels of the 2015 trend of #OscarsSoWhite. Not good press, I can say that. Bet you wish we were still talking about No-maj, huh?
Yo, franchise dudes. We need one of the pros to step in here and quell the rebellion. Executive Producer David Heyman weighed in:
"Like all of Jo Rowling's works, [Fantastic Beasts] is populated with a variety of people and that will be the same in this series over the course of the films. There will be people of various types of ethnicities. In New York in the 1920s, there was a segregation between white and black, the neighborhoods were largely separate, and that is reflected in [the film]. But the wizarding world is a much more open and tolerant society where people of color and different ethnic backgrounds exist harmoniously together. There are people of color filling this world in an organic way."
Good enough for us!
No? It isn't?
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Clearly, the argument was about the main cast, but let's give JKR and Co. the benefit of the doubt, Potterheads. Yeah, some of you were saying that they'll quickly fill a minor role with a POC (person of color) to appease the mob, but that's a little cynical, isn't it? They would only ever cast people based on their acting ability. Right? Have faith. Oooh, and look. There's something new and flashy coming to distract us!
At the start of December, we got the Official Trailer for the movie. A case full of magical creatures, and unfortunately some have escaped! It was opened? Just a smidge! Yes, please! SO. MANY. FEELS.
What?
No. What is it?
What now?
A few weeks later, a separation the size of a lightning bolt scar cracked through the fanbase. The Cursed Child play released their casting for the golden trio. And Hermione Granger is being played by a black actor.
*sigh*
Really, guys? Overcompensate much?
Methinks this is not going to go over well on Twitter.
*shakes head in curious disappointment*
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