Harry Potter will officially become a ‘decade-long’ TV series adaptation, with a promise it will be made with the “same epic craft, love and care” as the mega-hit film series.
In an announcement at the Warner Bros Discovery lot in Los Angeles on April 12 – where a new combined streaming service simply called Max was also unveiled – author JK Rowling confirmed she would be involved as executive producer.
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series,” said Rowling in a statement.
Discovering Hogwarts in a ‘whole new way’
The devil is in the detail, as always.
With HBO Max and Discovery+ officially combined into Max, the studio confirmed it had officially ordered the first original Harry Potter scripted television series, bringing an end to years of speculation on whether Harry Potter would make the transition to TV.
Importantly, Max has assured Potterheads it will be a “faithful adaptation” of the Rowling books, a mainstay on the bookshelves of spellbound kids the world over.
HBO and Max Content boss Casey Bloys said they were “delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way”.
“Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World.
“In partnership with Warner Bros Television and JK Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years,” he said.
Some might say it’s a timely overhaul of the brand after the Harry Potter world has been embroiled in controversy in recent years.
Since the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, Rowling has been vocal on sex, gender and trans issues, with fans, activists and even members of the movies’ cast taking issue with her controversial views.
In late 2021, she received death threats after activists shared her home address online.
Embattled US actor Johnny Depp was also dumped as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts films after losing a libel case against British tabloid The Sun.
It had published an article in 2018 alleging he was a “wife beater” due to allegations of domestic violence made by Heard.
Expelliarmus!
So will the much-loved stars of the film franchise, multimillionaires Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasly) reprise their roles?
No.
The studio is on the hunt for a whole new cast and so far no new names are being floated on social media.
“The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years,” the Max statement read.
“Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”
The film franchise has produced eight films based on the original Rowling books, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997 and the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in 2007.
They collectively made an astonishing $US7.73 billion ($11.52 billion) worldwide, making it one of the most successful franchises in cinema history.
There were also three Fantastic Beasts films, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – the multi-award-winning stage-play, state-of-the-art video and mobile games from Portkey Games, innovative consumer products, live entertainment (including four theme park lands) and exhibitions.
The portfolio expanded to Wizarding World Tours, Harry Potter shops in New York and London as well the Platform 9 3⁄4 retail shops.
From Warner Bros Television, the new Max series will be available on Max in the US, and globally.
