Harry Potter is going from best-selling book series to a billion-dollar live-action movie franchise to what we can only expect to be a divisive and controversial TV show adaptation.
Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed in its most recent streaming call that a “faithful adaptation” of the world-famous books is coming to Max, complete with a new cast. In addition to this, WB has given the series the ultimate vote of confidence with a whopping 10-year commitment with J.K. Rowling serving as the executive producer.
While the latter decision is sure to ruffle some feathers, the possibility of a ten-year Harry Potter TV show run should put a smile on the faces of fans.
Arguably HBO’s most successful TV project to date, Game of Thrones, only ran from 2011 to 2019 even though George R.R. Martin preferred for HBO to have given it more time and seasons. This all but guarantees that the latest adaptation will live up to the promise of staying more true to the books than the widely successful films.
But, be warned that a 10-year commitment doesn’t guarantee that the Harry Potter TV series will get 10 seasons – it just means that the series will run for a decade.
With that said, this is Warner Bros.’s first official confirmation of the show’s existence following multiple rumors that it was in the works. We don’t have a release date or a production start date yet but we’re expecting more news sooner rather than later.
Perhaps HBO will use the Harry Potter TV show to tide audiences over while waiting for the future seasons of House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. At the moment, the former isn’t confirmed for a third season yet while the latter is adapting The Last of Us Part II across multiple seasons. But, given the success of House of the Dragon, it’s only a matter of time before the Season 3 announcement comes.
Hopefully, by that point, we’ll have a better clue about when to expect Harry Potter’s debut on the small screen.
Speaking of the Wizarding World franchise, we’re wondering how much the success of Hogwarts Legacy factored into this or if the commercial as well as the critical failure of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald were what pushed Warner Bros. to make all of this happen. The first big screen attempt at a Wizarding World spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was a huge hit in 2016, earning critical acclaim while pulling in more than $800 million at the global box office. Unfortunately, each subsequent installment performed worse, with The Secrets of Dumbledore failing to impress critics and audiences alike.
Perhaps it’s the combination of both and the fact that the Wizarding World franchise remains just as lucrative as ever.
Ultimately, the Harry Potter books and their spin-offs deserve a shot at becoming a universe as much as Game of Thrones, the DC Universe, The Last of Us, and so much more.
With its intricate plotlines and multi-faceted characters as well as a rich and relatively untapped world, a TV series format is going to allow for more character development and world-building, among others. More importantly, the show’s potential success could help spawn multiple spin-offs and even feature films that explore details from the original books as well as other materials that J.K. Rowling has released over the better part of the past two decades.
