Harry Potter series: HBO boss on the possibility of the rumored HBO Max spinoff
Last month, it was reported that HBO Max was eyeing a possible spinoff series based on J.K. Rowling’s hit Harry Potter books and films. However, Warner Bros. immediately responded and shut down the circulating reports, confirming that “There are no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform.”
Now, in a recent interview with Deadline, Chief Content Officer at HBO and HBO Max, Casey Bloys has finally commented on the rumor, revealing that they did have “exploratory conversations” about it. However, there were no writers attached and no deals have been in place, describing it as “embryonic at this point.”
RELATED: CS Soapbox: 5 Ways to Bring Harry Potter to TV Without a Remake
“There’s nothing in development,” He confirmed. “But I think it’s fair to say across Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and DC, these are franchises that WarnerMedia enjoys and it’s a big advantage for us so there’s always going to be interest in doing something of quality from those properties,”
Pick up a copy of the complete books here!
Franchise book author J.K. Rowling reportedly controls the franchise and has a say in anything involving the IP. In 2016, NBCUniversal inked a seven-year rights deal — ending in April 2025 –with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution including U.S. broadcast, cable, and streaming rights to the property, as well as digital, theme park content, and events. The deal meant Warner Bros.’ executives had to then ink a side deal that allowed Harry Potter features to briefly stream on HBO Max when the service first launched, with the films leaving the streamer after three months with plans to move to NBCUniversal’s new streamer Peacock later this year.
RELATED: True Detective Season 4 May Move Forward Without Series Creator
The Harry Potter seven-book series was adapted into eight films that earned over $7 billion at the worldwide box office. Warner Bros. also has the Fantastic Beasts prequel series of films under its belt, with the third installment, currently set to release on July 15, 2022, following up 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
