Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the arrival of a series adapted from the Harry Potter books for its HBO Max platform (which is now called Max): it will span at least “a decade” and JK Rowling is the executive producer.
It was the most surprising announcement of the conference held by Warner Bros. Discovery on April 12, 2023: “ Max commissioned the first-ever TV series adaptation of Harry Potter, a faithful adaptation of the cult books “, can we read in an official tweet accompanied by a trailer.
It will be one of the original productions of Max, the new SVOD platform carried by Warner Bros. Discovery — and was originally going to be called HBO max.
The trailer of a handful of seconds simply uses the famous music from the film saga composed by John Williams, accompanied by an image of the castle of Hogwarts (Hogwarts in English), the most famous school of wizards.
What will be the story of the Harry Potter series?
There is no doubt: Max’s series will be a ” faithful adaptation from JK Rowling’s novels, published between 1997 and 2007. That means the characters we know, from Ron to Hermione to Snape and, of course, Harry, will all be there.
What cast?
It will be necessary to re-cast the protagonists with new actors and actresses. The generation of the film adaptation (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, etc.) is indeed now in their thirties – impossible to imagine them playing eleven-year-old children, the age of Harry when the saga begins.
Harry Potter in series: how many seasons?
Warner didn’t skimp on superlatives: the series will be a program that spans a decade, with the same epic touch, love and affection for which this franchise is known “. It is therefore to be expected that the series Harry Potter on Max spans many seasons.
One can imagine that as there are seven novels, there will be a minimum of seven seasons. Nevertheless, we know that the adaptations can take on widths in the chosen format: it is therefore possible that the series will last longer. This was already the case for the film adaptation: the last book was split in two to create two films, the seventh and the eighth.
The extent of JK Rowling’s involvement
The author JK Rowling has established herself, in recent years, as a very audible voice in the fight against the rights of trans people. The projects attached to the universe she created are tinged with controversy and raise questions about the money they allow the Briton to earn – this was the case for the video game Hogwarts Legacyin which she did not participate, but which brought her royalties. The author indeed finances anti-trans movements, which directly endanger the lives of these people.
The release from Warner Bros. Discovery clearly evokes the presence of JK Rowling as ” executive producer » from the Serie. He even gives the floor to the transphobic author, who is delighted to “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of [ses] books “.
The amount the band paid for the adaptation rights is not known.
What is it Max?
Max is the new name for the subscription video-on-demand service that was originally to be called HBO Max. In the United States, it is a very high-quality platform that includes content from HBO, the private pay channel known for having financed and broadcast cult series, TheWire To Game Of Thrones.
Nevertheless, for its international launch (including France), HBO Max will simply be called Max, because its shareholder Warner has decided to make it a much broader SVOD service, mixing reality TV programs with original content.
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