Potterheads waved excitedly about their wands last month when the possibility of a TV series appearing in the TV series aired in Harry Potter universe originated.
Last month, sources told Deadline that HBO Max had ‘exploratory talks’ about a small screen adaptation of JK Rowling’s books and the film franchise.
But today, Casey Bloys, chief content officer at HBO and HBO Max, told Deadline it was very early days. He said there were no writers, adding: “I would not even say it is embryonic at this stage”.
However, he acknowledged that owning the franchise, which had already produced 11 films and a theme park, was a boon for parent company WarnerMedia.
‘There’s nothing in development, but I think it’s fair to say it Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and DC, these are franchises that WarnerMedia enjoys, and that’s a huge benefit to us, so there’s always going to be interest in doing something of the quality of these properties, ” he told Deadline.
A television spinoff makes sense for WarnerMedia given the admiration that Rowling’s books enjoy and the news came after Warner Bros. appointed Tom Ascheim, Kids, Young Adult and Classics president, to run the Wizarding World and Potter franchises.
There were also rumors last year that a series focusing on Jude Law’s younger version of Albus Dumbledore was being talked about, although it was apparently premature.
Any potential Harry Potter TV series should be done with the blessing of Rowling and her team giving creative approval for any exploration of the TV Harry Potter IP, including in TV.