JK Rowling has announced big names for the upcoming Harry Potter TV series and has said the show “will more than live up to expectations”.
The new series will be produced by Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, both acclaimed for their work on hit drama Succession.
Gardiner, who is also known for her writing on BBC's His Dark Materials and Killing Eve, will be the showrunner and writer. Mylod, who also directed episodes of Game of Thrones and The Last of Us, will direct multiple episodes for HBO and Warner Bros' streaming channel Max.
Executive producer Rowling took to X, formerly Twitter, to share her excitement: "I'm truly thrilled to announce our director and writer, both of whom I interviewed as part of the production team.
"Both have a genuine passion for Harry Potter, and having read Francesca's pilot script and heard Mark's vision, I'm certain the TV show will more than live up to expectations."
I'm truly thrilled to announce our director and writer, both of whom I interviewed as part of the production team. Both have a genuine passion for #HarryPotter, and having read Francesca's pilot script and heard Mark's vision, I'm certain the TV show will more than live up to… https://t.co/Cp146BXMny
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2024
The original Harry Potter films, based on Rowling's books and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, became a cultural phenomenon.
The new TV series will introduce a fresh cast to resurrect beloved characters like Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
Warner Bros added: "Each season will bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, core of the franchise and available to watch globally."
Rowling, who spent nearly 20 years creating Harry Potter's world, admitted earlier this year that completing the series felt like a "bereavement".
She described her deep connection to the world she created, saying, “I lived a huge amount of my life in that world in a way no one else can...
“Some of those 17 years had been quite traumatic for me, and this was a place I was escaping into. So the idea I would never be able to escape there again was a bereavement.
“That said, to be very honest, I was on a certain level relieved it was over. I’d done what I set out to do, and the Potter phenomenon had become something no one could have predicted.”
The Harry Potter saga began in 1997 with the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and concluded in 2007 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Rowling expressed a sense of freedom after finishing the books, saying, "It sounds bizarre, but [after Potter] I felt, I’m free to fail, I’m free to write what I want, [even] if no one wants to read it."
