A 'Harry Potter' Reboot Is Coming to HBO — Will J.K. Rowling Make Money From the Series?

The very first Harry Potter book was released in 1997, and the series became an instant success, turning then-unknown author J.K. Rowling into a beloved celebrity. After the Harry Potter movie series started hitting theaters in 2001, J.K.'s fame and adoration skyrocketed even more — as did her fortune. Today, J.K.'s net worth is an estimated $1.2–$2 billion. However, her fame has taken a downward turn.

J.K. went from beloved to polarizing in 2019, when she wrote a Tweet that was controversial, to say the least. Today, some see J.K. as a hateful figure, while others view her as a hero. One thing that isn't up for debate is the fact that J.K. is the creator of the Harry Potter world, which is now being rebooted into an HBO TV series. Before anyone commits to watching it, her fans and haters want to know: Will J.K. make money from the show?

Despite the controversy, J.K. stands to make roughly $20 million per year from HBO's Harry Potter series, as the show is based on her intellectual property. While fans of the books who dislike J.K. herself did petition to have her removed from involvement, Harry Potter is copyrighted, and the author owns those rights. This means that, love her or hate her, J.K. will earn money from any official Harry Potter-related production.

Aside from having written the books, J.K. was also heavily involved in the reboot's production. She selected the show's writer and director and served as executive producer herself. It's worth noting that there were viral rumors that J.K. intended to buy the rights to Harry Potter back from HBO due to disapproval of their casting choices. However, those were unsubstantiated claims that turned out to be false. In short, HBO is moving ahead with the series, and J.K. is very much involved.

HBO's Harry Potter series is scheduled to air on Christmas Day of this year. However, not everyone will be watching. One person posted on X, "Stop giving J.K. Rowling money." Meanwhile, another X user shared, "Man, I've been waiting for this my whole life!" That pretty much sums up the two camps — half the internet is urging others to boycott the series, and the other half is delighted at the idea of getting more content from the Harry Potter universe.

Chief among the excited camp is J.K. herself. Squashing any confusion as to whether or not she was involved in the production, the author posted on X, "I read the first two episodes of the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series, and they are so, so, so good!" Honestly, given J.K.'s net worth, she probably won't be affected by the money the show does or doesn't make either way. Those who would be impacted, though, are the series' cast and crew, who don't have billions to their names.