The much-anticipated new television adaptation of the Harry Potter series of books has finally been given a prospective release date.
The news of a new TV version of J.K. Rowling’s series of books was first confirmed by HBO Max last April, with reports that each of the seven books will get its own season.
“Your Hogwarts letter is here,” a tweet from the streaming company read. “Max has ordered the first ever Harry Potter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books.”
And now, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed on the Q4 earnings call today (February 23) that the first instalment of the show will hit HBO Max in 2026.
“We’ve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter,” Zaslav said. “We spent some real time with J.K. and her team. Both sides are just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max.”
Just last month, it was reported that the series was still at a “nascent” stage, with writers being invited to pitch ideas to HBO Max. No casting has yet been confirmed for the series.
Rowling is expected to be involved in the decision-making in the overall direction of the series, with her being listed as an executive producer.
Zaslav has also said that the series is likely to last “a decade”, adding: “My wife and I, we read [the Harry Potter books] to each of our three kids….It’s really moving, for 10 consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on HBO; I mean it’s really something”.
Warner Bros. brought Rowling’s books to the big screen between 2001 and 2011. Starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, there were eight film instalments in the wildly successful franchise, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Together, the eight films generated some $7.7billion at the global box office.
Since then, Warner Bros. has produced and distributed multiple spin-off films based on the Harry Potter world: 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and last year’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
In recent years, Rowling has also attracted controversy for her views on the transgender community, having shared numerous statements condemned as transphobic.
In 2020, Harry Potter film star Daniel Radcliffe penned an essay in which he challenged Rowling’s views, stating that “transgender women are women” and “any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people”.
