The elongated Harry Potter TV series for HBO Max are about to overcome the biggest hurdle in their journey to the big screen: an agreement with the books’ author, JK Rowling, who will have creative control over the exploitation of her work.
Warner Bros. is in talks with Rowling to join the project as a producer, Deadline has confirmed. Once she comes on board, the project, which is still in its early stages, is expected to begin searching for a writer. As Bloomberg first reported, the general idea is that each season of the potential TV series will focus on one book in the Harry Potter book series, which consists of seven novels.
The series would be produced by Warner Bros. Television is produced.
HBO Max and then-parent company WarnerMedia began exploring a potential Harry Potter TV series a few years ago. At that time, Warner Bros. Tom Ascheim, president of Kids, Young Adult and Classics, hired to run the Wizarding World and Potter franchises, which include theme parks, tours and the $9.1 billion theatrical library that includes Harry Potter and the spin-off Fantastic Beasts titles in. As part of this assignment, Ascheim became WarnerMedia’s senior representative in its relationship with Rowling and her representatives, and exploratory talks began for a Max series.
After the Discovery acquisition was completed a year ago, this entity was dissolved and Achem left the company. The importance of however Harry Potter IP grew only after the merger.
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has repeatedly emphasized its focus on franchises Harry Potter IP identified as priority. He has met with Rowling several times and has spoken on behalf of the author, who is embroiled in an ongoing controversy over her comments on transgender issues.
In recent years, WBD and its predecessor WM have been successful with the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion Special on HBO Max; The Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses Series of events on TBS; and finally the Hogwarts legacy meet video game.
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
