HBO is officially on board the Hogwarts Express with a one-way ticket to a new Harry Potter TV series based on the iconic books.
At a large-scale announcement for their HBO Max streaming platform (it's just Max now, for whatever reason), Casey Bloys, CEO of content for the platform, revealed that reports which had been circulating for the last few weeks about an episodic reboot of the series were true.
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After raking in the rewards from jumping back into the fantasy pool with House of the Dragon, it's unsurprising that they decided to dig up a new well-loved franchise to repurpose. It's been 12 years since the last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, wrapped up the iconic film run of the Harry Potter franchise, which banked billions and made superstars of its previously-unknown lead performers. JK Rowling, for her part, will serve as an executive producer, which has resulted in a fair amount of controversy surrounding this reboot. Over the past few years, the author has been criticised for views that have been perceived as transphobic. Dedicating so much of her online presence to discussing transgender issues has led people to call for a boycott of her work.
It was only a matter of time, given the constant IP churn in Hollywood today. Here's everything we know so far about the Harry Potter series.
What will the Harry Potter TV series be about?
Well, Harry Potter, basically. During his announcement of the series, Bloys said “We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” adding, “Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, 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.”
It seems like faithful accuracy to the expansiveness of the books is the logline for why this series is going ahead barely even a decade after the original franchise shuttered its doors. JK Rowling, who will executive produce the series, said “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series." So maybe we can expect Hermione's House Elf rights movement and the fan-favourite backstory of The Marauders to make an appearance.
Embracing the darkest roles of his career yet, the Harry Potter star is finally able to move past the character that has defined him for 20 years
For anyone who somehow doesn't know, the books, which were published between 1997-2007, told the story of a young neglected boy, Harry Potter, who finds out he's not only a wizard but one of the most famous wizards of all time thanks to him somehow vanquishing the most feared figure in the wizarding world, Voldemort, as a baby. What follows is your classic coming-of-age story, just with added magical world, schools and beasts and the odd life-threatening journey to put an end to Voldemort's reign of terror once and for all. Look, there are some details missed out here but there are seven books to recap that will apparently all make it to the screen again.
The film series, which kicked off in 2001, became a worldwide phenomenon unlike anything else in history. The wizarding world truly had us in a vice grip and gave us newcomers in the shape of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, securing their, and author JK Rowling's, place on the rich list for the rest of time.
While this wouldn't be the first time the world of Harry Potter et al has been re-explored (there are spin-off books, a record-breaking stage play, video games, a theme park and the Fantastic Beasts franchise), it will be the first time the original series has been re-explored. According to initial early reports from Bloomberg, Warner Bros, who produced all of the originals, had been looking at new ways to excavate the dense series of books and feels a series offers the best chance to dive into the un-adapted parts of the novels.
When will the Harry Potter TV series be out?
Woah there, hold your Hippogriffs. The series has only just been announced and hasn't even moved into production, let alone has a release date in mind. But if there's anything history can tell us, it's that Potterheads are happy to wait for the goods.
Who will star in the Harry Potter TV series?
When the original Harry Potter film series was charged into production, Rowling demanded that the young roles be filled by new, fresh talent with only Radcliffe, who had already been steadily working as a child star, with real acting roles under his belt. Grint and Watson were both found in open casting calls, as well as the rest of the Hogwarts cohort that orbited around them. The older roles, however, were of course filled with some of Britain's most esteemed talent, including the likes of Richard Harris (later Michael Gambon), Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane.
There's no word yet on who will be taking on the iconic roles yet, just that it will involve an entirely new cast (this might be a necessary move considering the original cast have made it clear they're out of the Potter game for good).
We do know that the series plans to run for a decade, roughly covering a book per season. Yes, there are only seven books, but things do get a tad meatier towards the end what with the whole ‘saving the world’ thing. With that in mind, they'll likely have to fill the lead roles with new talent again as the story starts with them as 11-year-olds. Nabbing child actors to commit to a decade in one role might be tricky, but hey, they did it before. As for the older roles, is a new generation of British talent that's emerged over the last 20 years that could fit into their robes. Until any news, however, you'll have to consult the Mirror of Erised to cement your dream casting.
