Warner Bros. in Talks for Harry Potter TV Series at HBO Max
J. K. Rowling’s original “Harry Potter” series may soon be adapted as a TV show at HBO Max. Bloomberg first broke the news on Monday, and reported Warner Bros. was nearing a deal that would see each of the juggernaut books adapted episodically for the service: one book per season. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed talks, but told IndieWire a deal was not imminent at this time.
It’s a predictable dip into old IP ahead of Warner Bros. gutsy move to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streaming platform. The mysterious franken-streamer is expected sometime in summer 2023 and will cost about $20 per month, roughly $5 more than what comparable subscribers pay now.
Rumors of a Harry Potter TV series have swirled around fantasy fandom for years, but enthusiasm for the project has increasingly bumped against Rowling controversy. The author has been extensively criticized for her political views, and her repeated attacks against transgender women and the LGBTQ community online and elsewhere in her writing. Other spinoff media has faced the same challenges. Earlier this year, the “Hogwarts Legacy” video game saw significant blowback online and spurred rumors of a widespread boycott that ultimately fizzled out.
Unlike the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, the proposed “Harry Potter” TV show would readapt the story already played out on the big screen by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint from 2001 to 2011. Rowling could reportedly consult on the series in some kind of creative producer capacity, but would not serve as showrunner or primary creator, per Bloomberg.
