Harry Potter: Warner Bros. “Would Love to Develop More” Series for Franchise

A key pillar of the Warner Bros. vault has been the Harry Potter franchise, as seen in how they went back to the well with the Fantastic Beasts spin-of series a few years after completing their adaptations of the books. Plans for that series started as a trilogy and then ballooned to a five-film arc, but middling box office returns, a lack of enthusiasm for the movies, and the recasting of Johnny Depp’s character have put a cloud over the Beasts and their locations. That said, Warner Bros. remains keen to do more with Potter as a franchise as Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff flat out confirmed it on Wednesday.

“We would love to develop more original Harry Potter series, and we regularly talk to JK Rowling and her team,” Sarnoff said at Bloomberg conference (H/T The Hollywood Reporter). “It’s got to be right though. Whatever we do has to be true to the canon, and true to the ethos of the Wizarding World, and who Harry is.” The use of “series” here is a curious word as it could mean television or film. Considering the economics of Hollywood currently, and the streaming service arms race for original content, she could mean either of these things and it’s not hard to imagine either of them in the “Wizarding World.”

Stock in Harry Potter as a franchise has largely fallen in recent years after series creator and author J.K. Rowling has become a controversial figure due to her frequent transphobic posts on social media and outspoken anti-trans rhetoric in the media. Despite being challenged by fans, and even cast members of the Harry Potter movies, Rowling has doubled down consistently. 

In addition to the flagship Harry Potter movies and the Fantastic Beasts series the only other things that Warner Bros. has done with Harry Potter is the recently premiered Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses competition series and an HBO Max exclusive cast reunion special. It was previously confirmed that Rowling will not participate in the reunion but that archival footage of her will be used.  

It was reported earlier this year that TV series was in the works for HBO Max, and perhaps this is what Sarnoff was referring to, but no updates on the matter have been announced since then and there wasn’t even any talent attached at the time that it was published.

What do you think Warner Bros. should do with Harry Potter as a franchise? Sound off in the comments and let us know!