Last Wednesday (12/12), HBO Max announced that the wizarding world would return to screens with a series adaptation of Harry Potter. It’s only been twelve years since the last film in the franchise was released, so there wasn’t much expectation for a reboot anytime soon. So what to expect?
The series will be an original production of Streaming Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s new platform that will merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single platform. Watch the production teaser:
Your Hogwarts letter is here.
Max ordered the very first one #Harry Potter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the legendary books. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/3CgEHLYhch
— HBO Max (@hbomax) April 12, 2023
“Your Hogwarts letter is here. Max commissioned the first Harry Potter television series to be scripted, a faithful adaptation of the legendary books.
The announcement of the original series wasn’t exactly a surprise. Last week, the deal between Warner and author JK Rowling was leaked. Rowling will join the new franchise as executive producer.
The new production was described by the author as a “decadeslong” series. The suggestion is that the Harry Potter series remain authentic and true to the books that are so familiar to fans around the world. Rowling made the following comment about the deal:
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I look forward to being a part of this new adaptation, which will allow for a level of depth and detail only possible in a longrunning television series.”
What to expect from the Harry Potter series?
Although a reboot isn’t expected anytime soon, the new Harry Potter series has been well received by the fan base even considering the controversy over JK Rowling’s rankings.
The film franchise still has a very good reputation and fond memory for the fans. So some are worried about which direction this new adaptation will take hearts.
Even more so since no production details such as directors, showrunners and cast have been announced. Especially the cast! The image of Rupert Grint as Ron, Emma Watson as Hermione and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry is a very strong hallmark of the franchise.
But it’s worth remembering that HBO made its mark by committing to providing the best universe immersion experience, a reputation gained (and eroded) with Game of Thrones.
Which also justifies the fans’ fear, because the ending of “GOT” alone left many fans of both the books and the series totally disappointed.
So, a guarantee the Wizarding World fanbase can count on is a photo that transports everyone back to that magical universe that still lives on at heart. Now for the script and the performances… We’ll have to wait and see.