Harry Potter was a popular book series that told the story of the titular character and his adventures in the Wizarding world. The book series was a significant part of many fans’ childhoods and was religiously re-read several times. It was eventually turned into a movie franchise in 2001, quickly becoming one of Warner Bros.’s most successful projects. Despite much controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling, the franchise sparked a prequel series based on one of Harry Potter’s textbooks, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and told the story of the adventures of their author Newt Scamander. Unfortunately, the Fantastic Beasts movies weren’t nearly as successful as their predecessors. HBO Max has recently announced that they will be adapting Harry Potter into a TV series.
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Plans For the Harry Potter TV Series
On 12 April, HBO announced their new Harry Potter project, which would run for ten years with an entirely new cast. The chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, Casey Bloys, said, “We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way. 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 J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all these years.”
The project has been in the works for a while, and those in charge were happy to announce its existence. Several people will be involved with the project, including Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley and J.K. Rowling, who will be executive producers on the show.
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J.K. Rowling’s Involvement in the Project
Since Harry Potter is her creation, Rowling has creative control over all her work and any projects adapted from it. She came out with the following statement following the announcement of the TV series:
“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.”
When asked about Rowling’s involvement, Bloys said, “Our priority is what’s on the screen. Obviously, the Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority – what’s on screen.”
He said that her insights into the story would be beneficial moving forward.
Fan Response
The response to the upcoming Harry Potter TV series was a mix of fans excited to see a “faithful adaptation of the iconic books” and fans determined to boycott the series due to the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling.
Some felt that it was too soon for a TV series adaptation, given that the film series concluded in 2011, while others thought that a prequel series about the rise of Voldemort or the Four Founders of Hogwarts would have been better.
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TL;DR
- HBO Max is adapting the Harry Potter books into a TV series.
- Despite controversies surrounding her, J.K. Rowling will be involved in the project as an executive producer.
- The response to the upcoming project was incredibly mixed, with some fans ready to boycott and others excited to see their favourite books brought to life in a different way.
