In the middle of a year in which two decades have passed since the premiere of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Warner Bros. Discovery accelerates efforts to bring a series to life based on the fantasy saga by JK Rowling.
A project that will be “a faithful adaptation of the beloved book series,” as indicated by the company in its most recent announcement, in which it confirmed that producer and screenwriter Francesca Gardiner will serve as showrunner of the fiction and Mark Mylod will direct several episodes and will be one of the executive producers.
The duo of filmmakers coincided in their work on Successionwhere Gardiner was a consulting producer for the last two seasons and Mylod was in charge of about half of the episodes, including the praised finale of the story about the Roy family.
It may still be a while before the premiere (the firm mentioned 2026 as a tentative date), but the duo’s confirmation is an unequivocal sign that the new adaptation of Harry Potter It is advancing at a steady pace and that the next big challenge will be to find the members of its cast.
Rowling is actively involved in the entire process.. The writer, an executive producer through Brontë Film and TV, was involved in choosing Gardiner as showrunner, the term for the creative head of a series. She should also be involved in choosing the actors who will play Harry Potter and his friends and teachers, as well as other crucial decisions with the conglomerate’s bosses. When the project was announced she celebrated that “it will allow for a degree of depth and detail that only a long-running television series offers.”
David Zaslav, CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery, detailed those conversations last February: “I was in London a few weeks ago with Casey (Bloys) and Channing (Dungey), and we spent a lot of time with JK and his team. Both parties are thrilled to reignite this franchise. Our conversations were great.”
The other novelty is the presence of David Heyman. Recently nominated for an Oscar for Barbie (2023), The British director participated in all eight feature films of the sagafrom harry potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010). In addition, he was involved in the three films Fantastic beastsso his incorporation as executive producer looks like an important step.
Those who remain skeptical about the idea of rebooting the magic franchise will surely need more announcements to convince them to watch the series. That’s probably what the information shared by the company yesterday was aimed at.
“Each season will lead to Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while The original, classic and beloved films will remain the core of the franchise and will be available to view globally,” said a statement.
For now the details of the series’ plot are kept secret, although the most plausible option would be for each cycle to address a different book. “It’s really moving, for ten consecutive years people will watch Harry Potter on HBO,” Zaslav said in 2023, before Francesca Gardiner was chosen to lead the project.
One of the certainties that exists is that the series will be shown on HBO and Max, and not only because of the streaming platform, as initially announced. An adjustment that responds to the fact that that and other titles (such as Welcome to Derry, the prequel to Item) will become HBO Originals instead of Max Originals. Anyway, the return to Hogwarts is imminent.
