Simon Pegg Joins Boycotted Mega-Blockbuster In Major Role
Simon Pegg is joining the Hogwarts Legacy game as Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black.
English actor Simon Pegg has joined the wizarding world of Harry Potter, voicing the infamous Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black in the controversial upcoming game Hogwarts Legacy. The game, set in the wizarding world in the 1800s, has already been hit with a crushing delay following a wave of controversy regarding Harry Potter writer JK Rowling and anti-trans comments the writer made in 2020.
Simon Pegg describes Phineas Nigellus Black, the great-great-grandfather of Sirius Black, as the least popular Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in history, and according to the actor, Black’s role in the game is to hinder the efforts of players. The actor further described his character as the opposite of Sirius Black—Phineas isn’t noble and brave; instead, he’s a self-interested fool that will both help and hinder the players as they progress through Hogwarts Legacy. The character was already mentioned in the books and films, but he hadn’t made an active appearance before the game.
For those who haven’t seen Harry Potter in a while, Simon Pegg’s character appears as a portrait handing in Dumbledore’s office, who reluctantly helps send a message to his twin portrait in Grimmauld Place—since portraits in Harry Potter live. According to Simon Pegg, who is a cherished treasure of the geek culture, having starred in Star Trek and Paul, those who end up buying Hogwarts Legacy will have the opportunity to learn how the infamous Headmaster got such a bad reputation in the school’s history.
The upcoming Hogwarts Legacy, scheduled to launch in February and April, is the subject of many controversies due to author JK Rowling’s comments on trans people. In fact, many groups have attempted to boycott the game because of its connection to the writer, with some stating that any support for Hogwarts Legacy is harmful.
However, whether that’s truly the case or not has nothing to do with the game, and boycotting it may hurt the developers and voice actors, such as Simon Pegg, much more than it would hurt the Harry Potter author. In either case, people are devoiding themselves of enjoying some Harry Potter content over JK Rowling’s criticism of trans activism.
JK Rowling’s commentary and criticism of trans activism have divided the stardom of Harry Potter, with actors such as Ralph Fiennes defending the author and Emma Watson stating she wouldn’t return to Harry Potter if JK Rowling continues to be involved with the franchise. Unfortunately for those boycotting the game, Hogwarts Legacy is among the most popular and highly anticipated titles on various digital storefronts, and many industry analysts are saying that it could become a blockbuster.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 10, with last-gen releases scheduled for April, and Switch release scheduled for July.
