Harry Potter HBO Max series

[DC Fanatic]

‘Harry Potter’ TV Series For HBO Max Inching Closer To Reality With JK Rowling In Talks To Produce

The long-rumored Harry Potter TV series for HBO Max is on track to clear the biggest hurdle in its path to the screen: a deal with the books’ author JK Rowling who has creative control over any exploitation of her work.

Warner Bros is in talks with Rowling to join the project as a producer, Deadline has confirmed. Once she comes on board, the project, which is in nascent stages, is expected to look for a writer. As first reported by Bloomberg, the general idea is for each season of the potential TV series is to focus on one book in the Harry Potter book series, which consists of seven novels.
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The series would be produced by Warner Bros Television.

HBO Max and its then-parent company WarnerMedia started exploring a potential Harry Potter TV series a couple of years ago. At the time, Warner Bros appointed Kids, Young Adult and Classics president Tom Ascheim to manage the Wizarding World and Potter franchises, which includes theme parks, tours and the $9.1 billion-grossing theatrical library that spans the Harry Potter and spinoff Fantastic Beasts titles. Under that setup, Ascheim became WarnerMedia’s senior rep in its relationship with Rowling and her representatives, and exploratory conversations for a Max series got underway.

After the Discovery acquisition was completed a year ago, that unit was disbanded and Ascheim exited the company. However, the importance of the Harry Potter IP has only grown post-merger.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav has stressed multiple times his focus of franchises, with mining the Harry Potter IP identified as a priority. He has met multiple times with Rowling and has spoken up in support of the author who has been involved in an ongoing controversy over her comments on transgender issues.

In the past couple of years, WBD and its predecessor WM have had success with the Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion special on HBO Max; the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses event series on TBS; and, most recently, the Hogwarts Legacy hit video game.

[Tim]

Great, give that bigot more money.

Besides, it's not 2004 anymore.  The Harry Potter craze is long over.

[Melinda Halliwell]

You would think so but people still love this fandom Tim the same with other ones obviously.

As I've said before I separate the franchise from the author and just enjoy the characters and films for what they were then.

Not sure about a tv series though yet as it hasn't been many years since "The Deathly Hollows" ended unless this show will focus on other characters besides the main people perhaps?

[Tim]

This series is 20 years too late, IMO.

[Trinity]

Apr 5, 2023 11:25:39 GMT -5 Tim said:

This series is 20 years too late, IMO.

Yeah, I did always think Harry Potter should've always been a tv series than series of movies, since so much content was left out from the books.

But now it's like why do it now. Now if they did this idea say in another 20 years, when virtually the entire audience who grew up on the books/films are well into their 40s, 50s and 60s. Maybe.

It could've been more fun to do a series on the side characters throughout the universe instead of rebooting the stories again. Plus how on earth are they going to get 11 year olds (since that's how old the characters are in the first year/book/film) to be tied into long hours making a tv series based on one book per season. With streaming it'll take 10 years or more to finish the series. I just don't think it'll work, maybe an animated series.

[adzpower]

I just don't understand who this is even for. After doing some research online the Harry Potter fans don't want this. Casual audiences don't want this. Who asked for this? Yet another pointless reboot.

[Melinda Halliwell]

It's all about money and how much they can make and get rich off obviously.

True producers or execs would ask people if they want a series or not to get a demographic feel on the state of things before deciding and announcing anything which research beforehand helps as well of course.

[Sunday]

It's all about money. They don't care. HP is a huge cash cow. It's going to make so much money regardless of what fans think.

[Trinity]

Press Release

The Scripted Television Series Will Be A Faithful Adaptation Of The Beloved Original Harry Potter Books Written By J.K. Rowling
Max is thrilled to announce it has ordered an original “Harry Potter” scripted television series, it was confirmed today during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming service on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved “Harry Potter” book series by author and executive producer, J.K. Rowling. From Warner Bros. Television, the new Max Original series will be available on Max in (US) and globally (other streaming services) once produced.

The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. 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 twenty-five years. 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.

“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content. “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 J.K. 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.”

“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 J.K. Rowling.

Max in association with Brontë Film and TV, and Warner Bros. Television. Executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts. David Heyman is currently in talks to executive produce.

Source:
HBO

deadline.com/2023/04/harry-potter-max-series-jk-rowling-1235322187/

As expected, a Max Original Harry Potter series was made official today at the Warner Bros. Discovery presser with author J.K. Rowling executive producing. The series, which will stream worldwide on Max, will be a faithful take on her classic Harry Potter books with a new cast.

There will be a new cast and this series is billed as being a “decade-long one,” authentic to the books.

Beamed Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav after the announcement, “My wife and I, we read (the Harry Potter books) to each of our three kids….It’s really moving, for ten consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on HBO; I mean it’s really something.”


Zaslav clearly went off-script in his remarks, mixing up HBO and Max, the home of the new Harry Potter series.

Since Warners launched the Max streaming service, there’s always been a goal to exploit Warner’s biggest franchise for streaming. Warner Bros Discovery Boss David Zaslav, upon taking the reigns of the merger last year, met with Rowling several times in the UK. He’s even spoken up in support of the author who has been involved in an ongoing controversy over her comments on transgender issues.

“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content. “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 J.K. 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.”

“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 J.K. Rowling.

Max in association with Brontë Film and TV, and Warner Bros. Television. Executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts. David Heyman is currently in talks to executive produce.

Rowling’s Wizarding World, spawned from her seven-bestselling Harry Potter books at 600M copies worldwide, spans retail stores, theme parks, a global stage play, and a $7.7 billion global grossing feature franchise as well as the $1.8 billion grossing spinoff Fantastic Beasts movies.

[Tim]

The Harry Potter craze is long over. 

It's not the 00's anymore.