Prepare to head back to Hogwarts for a Harry Potter TV series, because Max (the streaming service previously known as HBO Max) has greenlit a return to the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling.
The show will be a "decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for," according to a statement from Max. "The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years."
J.K. Rowling will be acting as executive producer on the live-action series, which will be based on all seven books in her series published between 1997 and 2007.
"Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me," she said. "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.”
Here's everything we know so far...
Harry Potter TV series release date
With the series only being announced in April 2023 and production not yet underway, it's fair to say the first season of this one won't be along for a while.
Some have earmarked 2025 or 2026 as potential release dates and it's fair to say that Max is keen to get the show on our screens as soon as possible, however, it will definitely be a few years yet. If only we had a time-turner!
When we get more details on production and an official release date, we'll be sure to let you know.
How many seasons of the Harry Potter TV series will there be?
There's no official confirmation from HBO on this as of yet, but it's heavily implied there will be one season per book, which would mean there will be SEVEN series.
What's the title of the Harry Potter TV series?
There's no news on this from HBO as of yet, but some have suggested The Boy Who Lived could be a decent title. Indeed back in 2023, a star of the original films hinted that Warner Bros. could be keen on the idea.
Harry Potter TV series plot
The plot of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series will be well known to the hundreds of millions of people who've read J.K. Rowling's books, yet fans will still be desperate for more details on this adaptation.
With some of the later films in the hit movie franchise struggling to fit all the content from the author's novels on to the screen, there should be plenty of new material on show once the series arrives.
Here's what HBO CEO Casey Bloys said about the show in a statement.
"Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."
"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."
Harry Potter TV series: 7 subplots we want to see!
Harry Potter TV series cast
Max has hinted there will be new cast for the Harry Potter TV series and we can expect the internet to be abuzz with rumors about who will play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Grainger, Albus Dumbledore and a host of other favorites from the books.
At the time of writing, Richard Harris' son Jared Harris (Mad Men) was being touted to take on his father's old role of Dumbledore, while some have suggested Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy could play Voldemort.
Meanwhile, Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) is an early front-runner to play Rubeus Hagrid, according to some bookies.
Indeed Max is currently more concerned with trying to find a showrunner to oversee this new project...
"We have been trying to be very close to the vest," said HBO CEO Casey Bloys. "We haven’t gone out to agencies. We have our own internal process where we’ve been thinking about people but we have not wanted to go out into the world. Now that the news is out there…we’ll start going out to the business."
In a conversation with Variety in January 2024, Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Channing Dungey hinted that the search for a showrunner was still ongoing...
“We’re in conversations with a number of different writers to figure out who’s going to be the person to lead that franchise for us,” he said. “The first step for us is figuring out who this showrunner is going to be and once we get that locked down, then we can start having those [casting] conversations. The tricky part is the first two books, where the kids are on the younger end, around 11 or 12.”
Will there be any other Harry Potter TV projects?
“We’re free to do anything we want,” says Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav. “Some areas we need to do with J.K., other areas we have the full ability to go forward. This is a full deployment on Max of Harry Potter. We can still develop other properties.”
So it sounds like more tv projects could be a distinct possibility! Dobby spin-off anyone?
When will there be a trailer for the Harry Potter TV series?
Unfortunately there won't be a trailer for the first season available for a few years yet, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as one apparates on the web.
