The information published these days is confirmed: Warner Bros. is working on a Harry Potter series, which has received the green light for a first season and which will feature J.K. Rowling, author of the literary saga, as producer. “It will delve into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy after so many years,” said Casey Bloys, chief content officer for HBO and Max.
The announcement took place during the presentation of Max, the new name that the streaming service HBO Max will have from May 23. The new adaptation of Harry Potter, as stated, is barely in the development phase: it does not yet have a creative manager and Warner Bros. is looking for a new showrunner. There is also no news about possible signings at the cast level, a decision that may await the arrival of the showrunner in charge of this new look at Hogwarts.
The idea is that, during a decade of production, the series will adapt the seven Harry Potter novels with a budget similar to the one that HBO has for projects like Game of Thrones or The House of the Dragon: more than 100 million per season to guarantee that it is can recreate Rowling's magical world.
And as for Rowling, her involvement comes by contract: she has control over derivative works of her novels, and no one can greenlight a project without her consent. In a statement, the British author has highlighted "Max's commitment to preserve the integrity" of the novels and that she is looking forward to the possibilities offered by a long-running television series, which will allow a "greater degree of depth and detail".
The presentation of Harry Potter, however, has already been marred by the inevitable questions about Rowling's involvement, problematic due to a clearly transphobic political and media positioning that, in fact, has motivated actors in the film saga such as Daniel Radcliffe. or Emma Watson to openly support the rights of this minority.
“No, I don't think this is the forum to discuss it. It's a very online conversation, obviously nuanced and complicated, and nothing we're going to comment on now," Bloys said in the presentation. He did remark, as Deadline reports, that his priority "is what's on the screen" and that in this sense "the Harry Potter story is incredibly affirming and positive and about love and self-acceptance."
