The Harry Potter TV Series is Officially Happening at Max – The Hollywood Reporter

It’s official: Harry Potter The TV series is coming to the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has revealed plans for a live-action TV series based on author JK Rowling’s controversial books. Zaslav made the announcement Wednesday morning during a presentation that revealed how the HBO Max and Discovery + streaming channels will merge. As expected, it has officially been rebranded as HBO Max and is now called “Max.”

Here’s how the series was described by Max: “The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a long-running series produced with the same epic craft, love and care that this world-class franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to drive a new generation of fans, full of fascinating detail, likable characters and locations Dramas that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 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 remain at the heart of the franchise and available to watch globally.”

The series is from Warner Bros. TV and Bronte Film and TV, and counts Rowling, Neil Blair and Ruth Kinley Letts among its executive producers. David Heyman, who has produced all eight feature films, is in talks to direct the production. The search for a writer and showrunner continues.

“We are thrilled to give fans the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content. “Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and there is clearly an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and JK Rowling, this new Max Original series will delve deeper into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy all these years.”

Rowling said, “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I look forward to being a part of this new adaptation that will allow for a degree of depth and detail that only a long-running TV series can provide.”

Live action Harry Potter The TV series has been in the works since early 2021, when Hollywood Reporter I mentioned exclusively that many of the ideas were in the exploratory stages. Since then, meetings with writers have been going on.

After showing Max, Bloys said Harry Potter The budget for the TV series would be commensurate with that of game of thrones And Dragon house, with the latter’s first season grossing $125 million. “[It] This will be scale or higher. Whatever would be required to make a quality presentation, Bloys said when asked about the likely cost of the program.

WBD execs have also said that the new series won’t stop them from taking on other projects in the wider Harry Potter universe. “We are free to do anything we want,” Zaslav said. “Some areas we need to do with JK, other areas we have full capacity going forward. This is a full post on Max’s Harry Potter. We can still develop other properties.”

When asked specifically about Rowling’s controversial remarks about transgender individuals, Bloys declined to comment and instead stressed that her Harry Potter stories are indeed inclusive. “JK is an executive producer, and her insights will be helpful. We’re in the Harry Potter business. The TV show is new and exciting, but we’ve been in the Harry Potter business for 20 years; this isn’t a new decision,” said Bloys, who is gay. “We’re comfortable being in the Potter business. JK is an online chat…it’s very subtle and complicated and not something we’re going to get into. Our priority is what appears on the screen. The Harry Potter story is an incredibly positive, uplifting story about love and acceptance, and that’s our priority, what’s on screen.”

Interest in bringing Harry Potter to TV in recent months after the Warner Bros. merger. and Discovery. Zaslav, who oversees the combined company, has repeatedly expressed his desire to do more with the beloved franchise about a boy wizard.

Speaking to investors in November, Zaslav said franchises will be a key area of ​​focus for WBD. He noted at the time that the company had not done anything with Harry Potter in 15 years and hoped the company could do more with Rowling. After extensive negotiations, Rowling will be involved as an executive producer on the Harry Potter series, although she is not expected to have day-to-day control or writing input as she controls the royalties.

Warner Bros. TV will be. Channing Dungey is the studio in the series.

The Harry Potter franchise is a mainstay of Warner Bros. Rowling’s seven book series that have been adapted as eight feature films that have collectively grossed over $7 billion worldwide. Warners has it too Fantastic Beasts Movies and Harry Potter Stage show. Most recently, Warners found success with a Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion for HBO Max (which didn’t include Rowling) as well as a quiz show for TBS.

The Harry Potter franchise has complex rights issues. Rowling controls the franchise and has a say in everything related to the property. In 2016, NBCUniversal signed a rich seven-year rights deal with Warner Bros. Television. Domestic TV Distribution which included the US broadcast, cable and broadcast rights to the Wizarding World series. That deal, which expires in April 2025, included digital initiatives as well as theme park content and events. The agreement also means that Warner executives have to strike a side deal that allows all Harry Potter features to stream briefly on HBO Max when the service originally launched. Movies are now streaming on both Peacock and Max.