A Harry Potter TV series is reportedly on the way.
Warner Bros Discovery is said to be in talks with HBO Max and the books’ author JK Rowling for a seven-series show, each focusing on one book from the franchise.
Rowling is in talks to join the project as a producer, Deadline reports.
Warner Bros Television will create the series and allow the writers to delve further into the world of Rowling’s books, many of which are longer than 500 pages. Warner Bros previously turned each of the seven books into a hit movie, culminating in a two-part film based on the final instalment.
Warner Bros has been eager to do more with one of the bestselling book series of all time. While Rowling co-wrote the Fantastic Beasts spin-off film series and gave her approval for a stage play adaptation and a theme park, she had yet to sign off on new movies or a TV show.
Warner Bros Discovery is yet to comment on the news, but chief executive David Zaslav has often spoken about his focus on franchises, with Harry Potter identified as a priority.
He has had several meetings with Rowling in recent years and has publicly supported her during her stance on women's and transgender issues, which have attracted controversy.
The Harry Potter books tell the story of a young wizard whose parents were slain when he was an infant and is then raised by his non-magical aunt and uncle. He discovers he is a wizard and is invited to attend Hogwarts, the world’s leading school for wizards.
The Potter brand has spawned a series of successful products and spin-offs. Working with Avalanche Software, a video game developer in Utah, Warner Bros published the highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy, a role-playing game based on the Potter world, in February.
The series has also spawned a stage production, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
But it’s the books themselves and the eight films that have had the largest impact. According to the US publisher Scholastic Corp, the book series has sold 600 million copies in 85 languages over 25 years, becoming an all-time bestseller.
- Additional reporting by Bloomberg
