2 Years to Go: Here's the Possible Release Window for HBO's Harry Potter TV Series
Fans of the beloved Harry Potter franchise are buzzing over the announcement that HBO is working on a TV series based on the famed characters.
Details are still sparse, but we've officially been given a release window of 2025 to 2026. Here is what we know so far.
J.K. Rowling's groundbreaking novel, The Philosopher's Stone, introduced the franchise in 1997. By 2001, it was adapted for film - even before Rowling's series had been completed.
Including the extended Fantastic Beasts spin-off films, the Wizarding World film franchise has grossed just under $10 billion - the fourth most in movie history - so it's no wonder the big bosses at Warner Brothers are looking to capitalize on the popular IP yet again.
Besides, this isn't their first attempt at a show. A few years ago, Max was in talks with WarnerMedia to create a series based on Harry Potter, but it was dropped after the Discovery acquisition.
HBO Max released a teaser trailer on YouTube for its official announcement on April 12. It's a very basic promo, simply revealing the Harry Potter logo under John Williams' iconic Hedwig's Theme.
Warner Bros. Discovery called the new series a 'faithful adaptation,' comforting fans who have all too often seen TV and film adaptations that have failed to live up to the spirit of the source material.
'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,' HBO CEO Casey Bloys said during the recent Warner Bros. Discovery Max streaming event.
It appears that each season will focus on one book in the series. But considering there are seven books total this seems to contradict other reports claiming that the new show will run for ten consecutive years.
Earlier reports also confirmed that the (HBO) Max series will only focus on the Harry Potter story, not including anything related to Fantastic Beasts.
The new show will serve as a hard reboot of the film franchise and will be completely independent. Most notably, that means there will be new faces portraying the Golden Trio of Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and, of course, Harry Potter.
Despite her recent controversies and Harry Potter actors publicly denouncing her, it appears that J.K. Rowling herself will work as an executive producer on the series. Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts are already signed on as producers beside Rowling. They've also been in talks with David Heyman, who worked on the film franchise.
While fans are always excited to see more Harry Potter content, some worry that it can't live up to the standard the films had set.
New information is being released constantly, but for now, all we know is that it'll be at least two years before we see the new series about The Boy Who Lived.