After days of swirling rumours about a brand new Harry Potter project, Warner Bros. has officially announced that the beloved franchise will return – with a multi-season series based on the original books by author J.K. Rowling.
First adapted back in 2001, the story of the Boy Who Lived will officially get the reboot treatment, with Warner Bros. announcing a ten-year commitment to a “faithful adaptation” of the novels. Initial whispers over the past week have hinted at a season dedicated to each book, which could be stretched out over a ten-year period as suggested by Warner Bros. timeline.
The announcement was made just today at the Warner Bros. Discovery presser, as part of the global reveal of their new streaming platform, Max. J.K. Rowling is confirmed to executive produce the series, promising to stay authentic to the original story. The series will also boast a new cast – which is expected given the former cast’s age – however, exactly who will play the iconic trio is yet to be revealed.
Speaking of the announcement, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said: “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 [Max]; I mean it’s really something.”
Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content added: “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,”
The new series will be the first of its kind for the Wizarding World franchise, and follows the end of the spin-off trilogy Fantastic Beasts, which recently closed its cinematic run with The Secrets of Dumbledore.
The upcoming Max series comes more than a decade after the original Harry Potter movie series, which came to an end back in 2011.
Now, time to plan our dream casting! Adam Driver as Snape, anyone?