Harry Potter TV series announced, with JK Rowling executive-producing

The Harry Potter TV series is officially a go at Max, the streaming service known until today as HBO Max.

The Warner Bros Discovery CEO, David Zaslav, announced the new service, which combines the original HBO Max with Discovery+, along with the tentpole series based on JK Rowling’s books, on during a presentation on Wednesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The live-action series, based on all seven books in the series published between 1997 and 2007, will become a “decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for”, according to a statement from the newly branded Max. “The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years.”

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“Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”

Rowling will executive-produce the series, alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts. David Heyman, who executive-produced all eight of the Harry Potter feature films (released between 2001 and 2011), is also in talks to executive-produce.

Speculation over a potential TV series, which has been in the works since at least 2021, has provoked mixed reactions among fans of the Potter universe. Though the extended world of Harry Potter – the books, films, theatre show and video games — are worth an estimated $25bn (£20bn), Rowling’s views on transgender rights have courted controversy and turned many fans away from the beloved coming-of-age series.

The author was absent from the 20th anniversary reunion special for the first feature film, which featured cast members reminiscing on their time together and the magic of the books and movies. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have spoken out against Rowling’s remarks on transgender issues, while Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes have defended Rowling.

Warner Bros, the parent company of HBO, produced all eight of the Harry Potter movies and have maintained close ties to Rowling in the years afterward. The studio has signed previous deals with Rowling for the Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts, the stage show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and theme parks in Florida and California.

“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” said Casey Bloys, the chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “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 JK 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.

Rowling 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.”

Details on cast, writers and a showrunner are yet to be announced.