Max will be airing a TV series based on the Harry Potter books. The announcement was made during a presentation on 12 April.
The series is set to be aired over a 10-year period, as per Warner Bros. Discovery. However, the number of seasons may not coincide.
Max is a newly created streaming service following the merger of HBO Max and Discovery+. Apart from the Harry Potter series, the service also announced a new show set in The Big Bang Theory universe and a series based on Penguin from Matt Reeves’ film The Batman (2022).
More about the Harry Potter TV series
First official confirmation by makers
The announcement did not come as a surprise to many. Several reports in early April suggested that a reboot for TV based on J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed books could be in the works. Nevertheless, the 12 April announcement was the first official acknowledgement that the show is being made.
Rowling herself will be serving as executive producer of the TV series.
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“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,” Rowling said.
“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 of these years,” Variety quoted Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content, as saying.
The series will be produced by Max along with Warner Bros. Television and Brontë Film and TV. Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts will be joining Rowling as executive producers.
First teaser shows magical candles and Hogwarts
No details on the start of production or release date were revealed, but the makers did release a short teaser.
The teaser shows multiple candles appearing magically out of thin air as they come together to form the words “Harry Potter.” The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can be seen in the background.
The music played in the teaser is the original theme from the movies, which was composed by John Williams who, at age 90, became the oldest ever Oscar nominee in any category when he was nominated for Best Original Score for The Fablemans at the 95th Academy Awards.
Reports suggest that the series will have an entirely new set of actors playing the iconic roles immortalised on-screen by the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and others.
The franchise is one of the most successful in history
Harry Potter is one of the most successful book and film franchises in history.
The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in the US), was published in 1997. The first film, sharing the same title, was released in 2001. The seventh and last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released in 2007. It was made into the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011), bringing the total number of films to eight.
The movies collectively grossed over USD 7.7 billion at the worldwide box office.
Known as Wizarding World, the Potterverse also includes the not-so-successful spin-off Fantastic Beasts film franchise, which serves as a prequel to the original story, as well as TV specials, theme parks, stage play and video games.
(Main image: Courtesy of Warner Bros. – © 2010 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. HARRY POTTER PUBLISHING RIGHTS (C) J.K.R. HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS, NAMES AND RELATED/IMDb; Featured image: Courtesy of © 2001 – Warner Bros./IMDb)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia
