JK Rowling has been chastised for her absence from the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts reunion show.
Return To Hogwarts will reunite Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the first film, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.
However, many commentators emphasized Rowling's absence, as she appears exclusively in old video excerpts.
There has been conjecture that the writer was dropped from the show following a backlash over her earlier comments towards the trans community.
"What's ultimately missing," Ed Power wrote for The Telegraph, "is any genuine insight into Harry and what it was about him that captivated so many readers." And only JK Rowling could have provided such insight."
"Even a muggle will conclude that Rowling's lack of time in this documentary has something to do with the public rebuke she received from the series' stars [Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint] for her views on trans people," he continued.
Carol Midgley of The Times described it as "a charming if occasionally saccharine reunion" that was "missing a critical ingredient" in Rowling.
"The absence of Rowling in the Gryffindor common room or strolling down Diagon Alley, with the actors who were children at the time acknowledging her influence on their careers, seems like an odd and critical omission," she continued.
Meanwhile, Variety's Caroline Framke felt that Rowling's absence was beneficial.
"It is wise for Return To Hogwarts to emphasize how these adaptations came together and impacted the world as blockbuster films rather than how Rowling's vision inspired them," she wrote.
Rowling's controversy began in 2020 when she was chastised for a series of "anti-trans" tweets in response to an article's usage of the phrase "people who menstruate."
She then wrote an essay defending the words that led to her being accused of transphobia and explaining why she felt compelled to speak out.
Several prominent Potter cast members, including Grint, Radcliffe, and Watson, spoke out against the author.
Despite the backlash to the reunion, Watson described filming it as an "unexpected joy."
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts begins on HBO Max in the United States and Sky/NOW TV in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2022.
