When does the series start?
“The new Max Original series (until recently HBO Max) will delve into each of the iconic books that fans keep coming back to,” said Casey Bloys, president and CEO of HBO & Max Content of the project, which aims to be a “faithful adaptation.”
Early reports indicated that each season of the show would focus on one book in the series. Casey Bloys, however, said the project would last “ten more years”, which seems to defy the premise that one book equals one season. It is also known that “Fantastic Beasts” will not be part of the series.
When is the premiere of the series?
The series will appear on the Max platform at the turn of 2025/2026, and given that Warner Bros. Discovery is starting a loud reconstruction of its service, even changing the name from HBO Max to simply Max, it is known that the platform wants the series to appear as soon as possible, to be the flagship product of the new streaming service.
Will any of the stars of the Harry Potter movies star in the series?
There will be new actors playing the main characters in the series, currently the Max platform is focused on finding a showrunner.
As for the return of any of the stars of the film series – such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson or Rupert Grint – nothing is officially known. Perhaps the platform will be able to engage the original cast for guest appearances, which would greatly affect the attractiveness of the series.
Is JK Rowling involved in the production?
“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 character development and plot detail that is possible in the production of a television series,” Rowling said in a statement.
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with JK Rowling several times in the UK when he took over from the merger last year. Regarding how close the author will be to the series, Casey Bloys said: “[Rowling] will be involved. He is the executive producer of the series. Her insights will be of great help to us.”
“The show is new and we’re excited about it. But remember, we’ve been operating in the Harry Potter universe for 20 years. This is not a new decision for us, we feel very comfortable in the world of this character.”
What is the budget?
“You know we’re making big shows like Line of the Dragon and Game of Thrones,” said Casey Bloys. “I imagine it will be the same scale or higher. The short answer is: we’ll do whatever it takes to make a high-quality show.”
According to a report published by the American website Deadline, “The House of the Dragon” cost almost $200 million and was the subject of the largest HBO marketing campaign in history, with media expenditures of over $100 million. So fans can expect similar outlays for the Harry Potter franchise “or higher,” in the words of HBO/Max head Casey Bloys.
Will there be other Harry Potter related projects?
“We can do whatever we want,” said David Zaslav, then hedged a bit. “Some areas of the universe we have to consult and implement in cooperation with the author of the books, and others on our own.”
It’s unclear where those boundaries lie, but according to Deadline, it’s clear that Warner Bros. Discovery would like more Harry Potter adventures. Since taking control of the combined company, David Zaslav has repeatedly stated that he is focusing on franchises, with Harry Potter IP exploration being his top priority.
When was the idea born?
Plans for a TV series about a little wizard from Hogwarts are at least a few years old. Even before the merger of Warner and Discovery, the company tried to talk to the author, even appointing a special representative Tom Ascheim, who was responsible for the management unit of the Harry Potter brand franchise, which includes theme parks, tours, products and a cinema library with a series of films about the magician and the Fantastic Beasts spin-off. However, after the merger with Discovery, the unit was dissolved and Ascheim left the company.
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav spoke about his family’s personal connection to the show. “My wife and I read (Harry Potter books) to each of our three children,” said David Zaslav, departing from the script following the announcement of HBO Max’s renaming to Max. “It’s really moving, for the next ten years people will be watching Harry Potter on HBO. It’s really something,” concluded David Zaslav.
