The Harry Potter franchise has undoubtedly become one of the most popular and successful franchises out there. Harry Potter became a bonafide phenomenon over the last few decades. The books, penned by J.K. Rowling, spawned eight films that directly adapted the novels following the core trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Altogether, the films grossed over $7 billion at the box office.
The series’ popularity persists, which is no surprise because the wizarding world has been redecorated ever since Harry Potter hit the screens. For a moment it appeared that WB was looking to capitalize on that. A Harry Potter series was indeed reported to be in a very early development stage, according to THR. The studio had reportedly held exploratory meetings to flesh out ideas for the show that would be an HBO Max exclusive. Both HBO Max and Warner Bros. have denied the claims that a series is in the works and there are no writers attached to the project, indicating just how early it is in the development process.
It has been reported that HBO Max has massively suffered ever since their star show, Game of Thrones came to end with a finale season that left the audience high and dry. The report states that among the 18-49 audience, HBO’s key demographic and the audience who tuned in to watch Game of Thrones in their millions, dropped by more than half. Overall, the network didn’t fare much better, losing 38% of its audience in 2020 compared to 2019. The massive drop in viewers is attributed to Game of Thrones, which broadcasts its eighth and final season in 2019, ending.
“There are no deals in place,” Casey Bloys, the chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, told THR. Bloys added, “I would go back to a more global statement on franchises: I think DC, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter — Warner Bros. has decades of important IP, Harry Potter being one of those. It’s a great advantage for WarnerMedia and of course, we want to use them in a way that makes either viewers, subscribers, fans happy.”
It was earlier heard that HBO was in the process of holding a meeting with the writers to develop a television series based on The Wizarding World. When asked further about this fact, that sources claimed HBO was hearing pitches at this time at the executive level, Bloys replied, “I have nothing to add beyond your diligent reporting.” Bloys neither denied nor confirmed what pitches, how many and who was potentially pitching a series with the network. When pressed further for an answer to a possible project stage by Deadline, Boys said, “I wouldn’t even say it’s embryonic at this point,” denying that any writers were attached to a project currently.
As of now, there is no confirmed television project in the works. The Harry Potter Universe is continuing to run on the big screen with its prequel spin-off series, such as The Fantastic Beasts and Where to To Find Them sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is in production but currently on hold due to a member of the crew testing positive for coronavirus.
Now it is clear if the franchise is so powerful and successful, there will be theories regarding the sequel or prequel. The most obvious choice, and likely the one fans want the most, would be one that directly follows up the immensely popular films. Rowling has established what her famous characters have been up to post-Hogwarts and it seems ripe for an adaptation. But all this aside, The Fantastic Beasts series is clearly in trouble. The second film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, underperformed at the box office and was panned by critics. Warner Bros. is hoping to turn that around with the third film, but that remains up in the air.
It seems that, after what’s happened with Fantastic Beasts, it would be a mistake for the series to explore another prequel story to the films. It would also be odd if they merely chose to retell the story of the original films. But, a Harry Potter TV show won’t do any harm but can do a lot of good we believe. And there is no stopping this franchise really. The success is immeasurable and the fans just want more of it.
Penned by author J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone released in 1997 and launched a seven-book series that includes The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows. Each novel was subsequently adapted into a film by Warner Bros., starting with The Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001.
