The much-anticipated Harry Potter television series for HBO Max is progressing steadily, with the most significant obstacle being an agreement with the author of the books, JK Rowling. Rowling maintains creative control over any adaptations of her work, and Warner Bros is currently in discussions to have her join the project as a producer, as confirmed by Deadline.
Once Rowling is on board, the next step will be to find a writer for the series, which is still in its early stages. According to Bloomberg‘s initial report, the plan is for each season to center on one of the seven novels in the Harry Potter series. Warner Bros Television will produce the series.
A few years ago, HBO Max and its former parent company, WarnerMedia, began exploring the possibility of a Harry Potter TV show. During this period, Tom Ascheim, the president of Kids, Young Adult, and Classics at Warner Bros, was appointed to oversee the Wizarding World and Potter franchises. This included theme parks, tours, and the lucrative $9.1 billion theatrical library covering Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts spinoff titles. Ascheim subsequently became WarnerMedia’s primary liaison with Rowling and her representatives, initiating preliminary discussions for an HBO Max series.
Following the acquisition of Discovery a year ago, Ascheim’s unit was disbanded and he left the company. Nonetheless, the significance of the Harry Potter intellectual property continued to grow post-merger.
David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, has emphasized the importance of franchises, singling out the Harry Potter IP as a priority. Zaslav has met with Rowling on multiple occasions and has publicly supported the author amid ongoing controversies surrounding her views on transgender issues.
The show is in early talks, so there’s no information regarding the return of the original cast members in some capacity.
In recent years, Warner Bros Discovery and its predecessor, WarnerMedia, have enjoyed success with the Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion special on HBO Max, the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses series on TBS, and the popular Hogwarts Legacy video game.
