It should go without saying these days that representation matters, but the fact is that someone needs to say it as loud and as often as possible because diversity in mainstream media still isn’t where it should be. Even something as beloved as the Harry Potter movie franchise doesn’t properly represent the world we live in (even though it’s set in the wizarding world during the 90s). I mean, just look at every single word spoken by a person of color in the film entire series:

Hypable recently shared their concern that the upcoming film ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, which will also be set in the magical universe created by JK Rowling, might follow suit based on the movie’s casting so far. Though the production has added some big award-winning stars like Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrell and up-and-comers like Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol (and the polarizing Ezra Miller), each and every actor and actress cast in Newt Scamander’s journey through New York City during the 1920s so far has been white. Considering that the city is a melting pot of different cultures from around the world and was even back then, it would most certainly be troubling if David Yates’ highly anticipated movie didn’t reflect that, especially when representation in the media is as important as ever.

However, according to author and first-time screenwriter Rowling, that won’t be the case. After hearing the various criticisms from fans on Twitter, she responded to accusations that ‘Fantastic Beasts’ would be whitewashed:

Naturally, the writer didn’t go into specifics after that so as to keep the plot details a secret, but the fact that she took time to respond is a good step. I wouldn’t be surprised if Warner Bros. announced some kind of diverse casting for the film after this though.

With little to no canon behind ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ it definitely wouldn’t have been hard to make someone like John Boyega or Richard Ayoade into Newt Scamander. Not to take anything away from Redmayne, who is most definitely an amazing talent, but the option was there. The same goes for Idris Elba or Lennie James stepping into Farrell’s role of the wizard Graves. And could you imagine Ken Jeong, Randall Park, or Ki Hong Lee taking the roles rumored for Michael Cera and Josh Gad? (Seriously, we need to see some Asian wizards and magical creatures in these movies. There’s so much mythology that they could play with!)

At the end of the day, I still trust in good ol’ JK. If she says that the movie won’t be whitewashed, then we don’t really have a reason not to believe her right? Like she said, the movie isn’t out yet. We’ll just have to wait and see just how much diversity will be in the finished product. But until then, sound off on this matter in the comments below.

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, and Colin Farrell apparates into theaters on November 18, 2016.