Yer a TV series, Harry. HBO Max will be turning magical the Harry Potter book series by controversial author J.K. Rowling into a multi-season television series, and casting is well underway.
Rumors have been floating around about an HP series since January 2021, and were confirmed in 2023. “Your Hogwarts letter is here,” the streaming service tweeted on April 12. “Max has ordered the first ever #HarryPotter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books.”
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So what, exactly, does a “faithful adaptation” look like? Here’s everything we know so far.
How many seasons will there be?
Bloomberg reported that HBO Max was in talks with Rowling to produce a multiseason TV series wherein each of the seven Harry Potter books would have its own season. However, now that the adaptation has been confirmed, it looks like the one-book-per-season report was not quite accurate. “For 10 consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on [Max],” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said.
Considering the films, which began with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, split the seventh book into two movies, it’s quite possible the Max series will take a similar approach.
J.K. Rowling will be heavily involved
In recent years, Rowling went from a beloved author to a divisive figure following a series of controversial statements about the transgender community. After Rowling did not return to Hogwarts for the film series’ 20th anniversary special, many fans hoped she would be kept away from the television series. This is not the case.
“J.K. is an executive producer, and her insights will be helpful,” HBO CEO Casey Bloys said on the subject, per The Hollywood Reporter. “J.K. is a very online conversation…. It’s very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into. Our priority is what’s onscreen. The Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive about love and acceptance, and that’s our priority, what’s on the screen.”
In her own statement, 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.”
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