At the beginning of April last year, Bloomberg reported that work on the creation of a series version was underway “Harry Potter“. HBO Max authorities were to negotiate intensively with the author of JK Rowling’s books. The highest-ranking people in Warner and HBO – David Zaslav and Casey Bloys – worked on signing the contract.
“The new Max Original (formerly HBO Max) series will delve into each of the iconic books that fans continue to return to over and over again,” said Casey Bloys, president and CEO of HBO & Max Content. He also announced that the production will be a faithful adaptation of the books, and the British writer will become the executive producer of the series.
The Potter series is scheduled to last seven seasons. Each of them is to be an adaptation of subsequent volumes in the series. Casey Bloys also admitted that the project would last “ten more years.” The author of the series also commented on the news. “Max’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of my books is important to me, and I look forward to being part of this new adaptation, which will allow for the character development and plot detail that is possible in a television series,” Rowling said in a statement.
Fans loved the series of films, among other things, because of the fantastically selected actors to play the roles of wizards. Replacing them will be a difficult task that the creators of the series will have to face. Many fans speculated that the film’s young wizard would have a cameo in the new Max Original production. Daniel Radcliffe, however, put an end to all speculations on this subject. “Considering everything I’ve read about this show, I don’t think so. It’s a fresh start and it would probably be weird if I suddenly appeared there,” he admitted in an interview with Deadline
Jeff Sneider revealed in his podcast The Hot Mic that the creators will focus on racial diversity. The host is famous for sharing behind-the-scenes speculations. He added that it is very likely that Hermione, previously played by Emma Watson, will be played by a black actress. A similar situation occurred in the case of the play “The Cursed Child”, in which Hermione was played by Noma Dumezweni.
However, not everyone is satisfied. Some Internet users are even calling for a boycott of the new production. Some people believe that a new version is simply not needed, after all, only twelve years have passed since the premiere of the last part of the film saga. Fans would like to expand the world of the Potter universe. “Why would we start over with a whole new Harry Potter cast when there is so much to discover, the Marauders, the founders of Hogwarts… what a waste,” one reads online.
Others, in turn, recall recent scandals involving the author of books. JK Rowling has been in the center of media attention for a long time due to her transphobic and homophobic posts. The writer faced a wave of criticism – also from the stars of the film adaptations of her best-selling books about the adventures of young wizards. Rowling’s comments were criticized by, among others: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
Casey Bloys, president and CEO of HBO & Max Content, also commented on this controversy. “Our priority is what happens on the screen. Of course, the Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive, it talks about love and self-acceptance. This is our priority – what is on the screen,” he said. He also added that although Rowling will be involved in the project, it is not entirely up to her.
There are many indications that the “Harry Potter” series may become one of HBO’s most expensive productions. Bloys himself announced that it will be a much higher scale than “Game of Thrones” or “Roman of the Dragon”. “The short answer is: everything you need to create a high-quality program,” he added when asked about the budget of the new project. According to Deadline, the first season of “Road of the Dragon” cost almost $200 million. Additionally, HBO spent over $100 million on the series’ marketing campaign.
As David Zaslav assured in a recent statement, the first installment of the Harry Potter series is to appear on the Max streaming service in 2026!