This July will mark a full ten years since the last live-action Harry Potter film hit theaters, not counting the Harry-less (and now Depp-less) Fantastic Beasts adaptations. Which means it's been roughly ten years since fans starting wondering how Warner Bros. was going to keep the franchise going after Daniel Radcliffe & Co. had completely outgrown their fantastical roles. Now, it sounds like the studio is allegedly mapping things out so that the boy wizard's universe may have a future on a major streaming service as a live-action TV series.
Given that the Harry Potter films were produced by WB, it only makes sense that the studio is reportedly angling for a potential TV iteration as an exclusive for the HBO Max. According to THR, a live-action take on Harry Potter is in very early arrangements at the streaming platform, and it's reported that the company's execs have been in contact with potential writers who could spearhead what would be a monumental TV event series if it happens.
While fans would no doubt want to see a TV show centering on Harry himself and his Hogwarts clan – or perhaps something centered solely on Hermione – it's not entirely clear what story elements the Potter project would focus on. (Someone get Rupert Grint involved, though, before he calls backsies and takes his enthusiasm back.) It's reported that only broad ideas have been talked in these earliest days of potential development. I know everybody's waiting for that Better Call Vol-demort prequel series, amirite? No, I'm not right? Fair enough.
To be clear, HBO Max and Warner Bros. aren't tipping their respective hats to anything happening on the Harry Potter front, with both companies claiming that no TV shows are in development either through the studio or on the streaming service. Does that mean anything concrete either way? Not really, since it would make a lot of sense for both HBO Max and WB to keep as much of a security bubble around a potential Harry Potter TV show as can be, so it's likely that nothing would be made official until a creative anchor signed on to steer the ship. Or to wave the wand, as it were.
Regardless of how many times this project gets denied, it's undeniable that Harry Potter is one of the biggest cash cows that Warner Bros. has going for it, at least outside of its multiverse of DC superhero-related shows and movies. In some ways, it's almost unbelievable that we made it all the way to 2021 without any Harry Potter TV shows coming into existence. We're still waiting patiently-ish for the Hogwarts Legacy RPG video game to come out, so maybe that'll be a wizardly appetizer to any live-action projects that may or may not be on the way.
The Harry Potter film franchise be available to stream on NBCUniversal's Peacock at some point later this year, after having only briefly streamed on HBO Max when the platform debuted in 2020. But perhaps one day, the movies will be housed alongside whatever TV project comes out of these alleged discussions. Definitely let us know in the comments what kind of Harry Potter TV show you'd like to see, even if it's just a cooking show where butterbeer is the only ingredient.
