A Harry Potter TV spin-off is reported to be in the works.
J.K. Rowling's seven books on the boy wizard and his adventures at Hogwarts were turned into an eight-film franchise which grossed over £6.5billion worldwide. That has been followed by a further three Fantastic Beasts films, which prequel Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Grainger's time at the wizarding school.
And now rumours are circling that the British author has held talks with Warner Bros bosses about further content opportunities. Any TV spin-off of the wizarding world would be most likely to end up on Warner Bros' streaming service HBO.
The Daily Mail reports that rumours are circling on both sides of the Atlantic that Rowling has held talks with new Warner Brothers chief David Zaslav, although the entertainment giant has refused to comment on the speculation. However, there are claims that writers are already working on the premise with a source telling the publication: "The Potter spin-off is being talked about as a fact by people who work for HBO."
Lawyer Zaslav reportedly spent the early stages of his Warner Bros career on a listening tour after joining the company in April and would presumably have been keen to meet Rowling, who holds the intellectual property rights to Harry Potter, as a matter of urgency. Rowling's intellectual property status gives her a say on any decisions across the franchise, including merchandising, theme parks and cinematic projects.
Disney's success with TV spin-offs on their own platform of Star Wars and Marvel franchises is also likely to see Warner Bros throw their weight behind a similar concept for their biggest asset. As well as the films and books, the Potter franchise includes a theme park in Orlando and studio tour in Watford, with a third Forbidden Forest experience opening in New York this year to add to those in Virginia and Cheshire. A Hogwarts Legacy video game is also due to be released across multiple platforms next year.
Criticism of Rowling's stance on trans and gender issues by Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson led to speculation of a potential rift between the author and film studios but it is understood that the relationship remains positive. Warner Bros issued a statement offering Rowling firm support when she received a death threat after speaking out on Twitter following the stabbing of Salman Rushdie last week,
The statement said: “Warner Bros Discovery strongly condemns the threats made against J.K. Rowling. We stand with her and all the authors, storytellers and creators who bravely express their creativity and opinions... the company strongly condemns any form of threat, violence or intimidation when opinions, beliefs and thoughts might differ.”
