Black Mirror director reveals scathing response to offer for Harry Potter TV reboot

| Deputy TV editor Published August 14, 2026 3:57pm Updated August 14, 2026 4:03pm Ally Pankiw won’t be in a rush to watch Harry Potter (Picture: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images/HBO) Ally Pankiw, a director who’s worked on Black Mirror and The Great, was asked to work on the Harry Potter TV reboot, and she didn’t hold back when she responded. Pankiw shared a screenshot of a text exchange she had with her reps about working on the upcoming series on Instagram, and it’s clear she wants nothing to do with JK Rowling’s Wizarding World. ‘I have an instinct on the answer, but I feel compelled to ask,’ the text message read. ‘Harry Potter? Hard no?’ Absolutely f—ing not! Lol,” Pankiw responded before adding: ‘Thank you for asking’. Her reps then sent back a quick message that read: ‘Of course :) I assumed as much (And agreed).’ In case that refusal wasn’t emphatic enough, she captioned her post with the following: ‘It simply is this easy to say no to funding transphobia! (Also this was for directing, not acting… obviously lol).’ Ally was scathing in her response (Picture: allypankiw/Instagram) The director has shared an exchange she had about working on the series (Picture: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images) Soon enough, the post was getting comments from those who wanted to congratulate Pankiw on her stance on Potter. ‘Putting the Ally in ally,’ wrote MrTeddyBeargrr while Taylortega added: ‘Yess boom done easy!’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video More notably, however, Doctor Who and Loki director Kate Herron said that she had similar messages about the series. ‘Yeah, thank you exactly! Respect and love to you, Ally,’ she commenced. ‘They’ve asked me twice, and I’ve had to explain my answer is never gonna change from a no.’ JK Rowling has been accused of transphobia in recent years (Picture: EPA) JK Rowling has been accused by critics and LGBTQ+ organisations of being transphobic because of her advocacy for gender-critical views and legal definitions of sex. Rowling denies being transphobic, arguing she is simply defending biological sex. Pankiw’s exchange comes just a few days after the debate around the appropriateness of working on the Potter reboot was reignited following Bel Powley’s interview with The Telegraph. Bel Powley says she ‘strongly disagrees with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender’. (Picture: Aidan Monaghan/HBO Max/PA Wire) Powley, who’s playing Aunt Petunia, told the paper that she ‘strongly disagrees with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender,’ adding that she ‘thinks that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.’ However, she then defended her decision to take the role, saying: ‘But I love Harry Potter. I grew up with books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness.’ While some appreciated Powley for taking a stance against Rowling, there were others who claimed she was being a hypocrite and mocked her stance as an inadequate justification. Ms Rowling decined to comment when approached by Metro. Metro has approached Pankiw for comment. Deals of the Day Parents can save up to 30% on Kickers school shoes ahead of the new term The back-to-school hack that's helping parents avoid queues and sold-out sizes Could your hair be wavy rather than straight? This brand thinks so Could your star sign improve your skincare routine? This new beauty launch thinks so Best skincare for menopausal skin? This dermatologist-created treatment is tailored to you Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: What character do you most associate with PlayStation? Arrow MORE: Lego Marvel games cancelled in favour of Warner Bros. IP says leaker Arrow MORE: Hogwarts Legacy 2 officially announced by Warner Bros. but there’s a catch TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.