Warner Bros. Discovery is in talks to produce a TV series for HBO Max based on the original “Harry Potter” novels, TheWrap has confirmed.
According to Bloomberg, which first reported on the talks, if the show goes into production, it would be a new adaptation unrelated to the hit film series. Each season would cover one of the 7 “Harry Potter” novels, first published between 1997 and 2007. The deal would have author J.K. Rowling involved with the series’ creative development, though she is not expected to participate in a major role.
The news comes just under a year after Warner Bros. Discovery released the third installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” series, “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” which marked the end of the Eddie Redmayne-led spinoff film trilogy.
At the time, TheWrap reported that insiders at Warner said the studio hadn’t ruled out more theatrical films and HBO Max projects for the “Harry Potter” universe, even as the “Fantastic Beasts” films came to a close.
“‘Fantastic Beasts’ was always meant to be one piece of a larger plan to build the Wizarding World,” Warner Bros. domestic distribution head Jeff Goldstein told TheWrap at the time. “While the numbers for ‘Secrets of Dumbledore’ were lower than the previous films, we still think the series has done its job keeping Wizarding World fresh in people’s minds, and we’re pleased with the revenue we’ve seen from the franchise at theme parks, stores, and other products and experiences.”
Both HBO Max and Warner have expanded their Wizarding World portfolio, with HBO Max’s “Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts” celebrating the 20th anniversary of the film franchise and Warner’s “Hogwarts Legacy” a video game, which is set over a century before the “Harry Potter” books take place.
