David Zaslav had to throw out a bone to rabid fans during his company’s fourth-quarter earnings call so that it didn’t look like it was all bad news for WBD. Well, to keep it short the company did well in some numbers but not the big ones that count. Anyway, that’s not the news here, the Harry Potter franchise is the big takeaway.
The CEO stated, “We’ve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter. I was in London a few weeks ago with Casey [Bloys, CEO of HBO] and Channing [Dungey, chairperson of Warner Bros Television] and we spent some real time with JK [Rowling, franchise creator] and her team. Both sides just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great.”
Back in April of last year, we noted that the plans were in motion. The concept seems to still be in place, the series will not be a strict retelling of the films. It will rather embellish the plot/characters with all the scenes that could have been told had time permitted surrounding each story. That will require some tricky storyboarding and writing. Since our initial reporting, a group of creative writers have come on board to pitch their theories on the IP and flesh out a concrete approach. 
Casting will also be a challenge as young actors would be required to age and grow as the series moves through the projected ten seasons planned and hoped for. A showrunner has also not been announced. It is all a bit premature for that. What does seem a guarantee is that JK Rowling, despite the controversy, will be involved in some creative form or fashion. After all, despite her personal views, it is her creation, her designed universe. She said in a statement, “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.”
There is a long way to go to get the series in front of subscribers but in the biz, 2026 is just around the corner so they must keep on task. HBOWatch will keep you posted.
