According to Variety, television adaptation of Harry Potter is in the works at HBO Max. Bloomberg was first to report the news, stating that Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to close a deal regarding the series, which would be completely independent from the film franchise and its spinoffs. The show would be based directly from author J.K. Rowling’s (The Ink Black Heart, The Ickabog) seven-book series, with each season representing one novel — this suggests the series is striving for multiple seasons.
Talks of a new Harry Potter series have been rumored since early 2021. Rowling is reportedly involved in the show, strictly as creative guide. She will not be a producer or showrunner. However, the deal has not been made official yet, and Rowling’s contribution to the series is subject to change. More information is expected to come on April 12 — Warner Bros. Discovery will be hosting a public event to discuss the HBO Max and Discovery+ merger.
Harry Potter, first published in 1997 under Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone), became an instant hit among children and adults alike. The fantasy follows eleven-year-old Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers he is a wizard and is sent to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he meets friends and faces the wizard who killed his parents when he was a baby.
The novel inspired the Warner Bros. 2001 film of the same name, which helped child actors Daniel Radcliffe (Swiss Army Man, Miracle Workers), Rupert Grant (Servant, Snatch), and Emma Watson (Belle, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), among others, rise to fame. The company also produced seven other movies for the series, before venturing into other branches within the universe and releasing a spinoff movie trilogy called Fantastic Beasts. Universal Studios in Orlando has also developed a theme park attraction, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, featuring an entire section of Harry Potter-related stores and rides. Other spinoffs of the growing franchise are the Broadway musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and multiple video games, the most recent one, Hogwarts Legacy, being released on February 10th.