When running down the franchises that Warner Bros. Discovery is reinvigorating, during Friday’s fourth quarter earnings call, CEO David Zaslav trumpeted the studio’s commitment to the “Harry Potter” franchise and confirmed that author J.K. Rowling is involved in the upcoming TV series adaptation of the beloved books.
“We’ve not been shy about our excitement around ‘Harry Potter.’ The last film was made more than a dozen years ago. I was in London a few weeks ago with Casey [Bloys, CEO of HBO] and Channing [Dungey, chairperson of Warner Bros Television] and we spent some real time with JK and her team,” Zaslav said. “Both sides just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead.”
The series, which Zaslav said is aiming to debut on Max in 2026, plans to adapt one book per season over seven seasons.
Zaslav continued: “We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max. We’re aiming for a debut in 2026.”
The company has been listening to new takes from writers and showrunners in recent months but has yet to formally announce who’s writing and running the series, but Zaslav is bullish on reinventing the beloved Wizarding World franchise.
While Zaslav is right, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – 2” opened back in 2011, the franchise hasn’t totally been dormant. Just five years later, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” opened and was meant to begin a new prequel franchise, starring Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterson. That franchise was plagued with problems, including disappointing box office and the involvement of controversial cast member Johnny Depp, who in the third movie (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”) had been fully replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. While the franchise had been mapped out for five movies, Warner Bros. gave up after three.
And of course there’s Rowling, who has routinely courted controversy due to her inflammatory comments about the trans community. The fact that Zaslav would double-down on her involvement is an interesting development.
Elsewhere in the Wizarding World, a new “Harry Potter”-themed land is set to open at Universal Studios’ new Epic Universe theme park in 2025. And “Hogwarts Legacy,” as Zaslav also touted, was one of last year’s most popular videogames.
