The long-awaited Harry Potter series set for Max has gotten a major upgrade from Warner Bros, as the project joins a select few others recently announced as slated to appear both on the company’s streaming service and linear programming.

Harry Potter has been one of the most popular IPs in history for more than a decade, ascending to legendary status thanks to the live-action film adaptations that saw J.K. Rowling’s 7 seven-book epic faithfully cast onto the big screen in eight well-received feature-length films.

This early adaptation success made Harry Potter a multimedia franchise at its core, with tons of spin-off books, games, and more over the years. However, the IP was never utilized on the small screen due to complex rights issues that stifled the way for a planned TV reboot announced in 2021. Fans were elated to discover that the issues had been resolved after the Warner Bros Discovery merger, leading to a Harry Potter series set for Max with Rowling attached as executive director.

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Fans have been quite excited by the fact that the Harry Potter series could be a much more accurate depiction of the books, and now the project has the potential to be even more influential in bringing the iconic story to new audiences. As reported exclusively by Variety, the adaptation has received a bit of an upgrade after initially being pitched as a Max exclusive, with the reports now indicating that the show will instead be branded as an HBO original. This means that, in addition to eventually making its way to Max, the Harry Potter reboot will actually make it to traditional TV and air on HBO a la Game of Thrones. This is a massive step up from the original plans, and could potentially see the show reaching viewers that would otherwise not tune in on Max.

The Harry Potter series is just one of a number of high-profile Warner Bros projects chosen to receive the promotion to linear TV, with the upcoming show from the IT franchise and the DCU’s Lanterns also making the cut. This is indeed a promotion as while streaming has become the norm for many, the reach and prestige of linear programming (in addition to its much more direct profit line) have not yet been entirely usurped. There’s a lot to be said for the new approach, and it is in line with the recent resurgence of confidence that Warner Bros has shown in some of its iconic IPs like Lord of the Rings. In addition to fresh faces and the potential for a few improvements, like the new Harry Potter TV Series fixing one major romance, having a new mainline series and making the jump to TV see the multimedia aspect of the franchise grow even larger in a development that didn’t seem possible at the conclusion of the film series.

While the Harry Potter reboot probably won't bring back film series director David Yates, there’s still a lot of hope for a faithful and exciting adaptation that’ll usher in a renaissance for the IP and make international stars of its cast. Fans can only wait and see how well the creatives behind the scenes handle the execution of what could potentially be a culturally defining idea.

The Harry Potter franchise is available to stream on Max.

Harry Potter

When Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard, he enters a world beyond belief. Aside from continuing his studies at Hogwarts with best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry must also face Voldemort and his dark wizarding forces. The Harry Potter franchise is a worldwide phenomenon, spanning seven books, eight movies, three spinoff movies, a stage play, and numerous video games.

Created by

J.K. Rowling

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Latest Film

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Alan Rickman , Michael Gambon , Ralph Fiennes , Maggie Smith , Robbie Coltrane

Reunion Date

January 1, 2022

Where to watch

HBO Max

Spin-offs (Movies)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald , Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

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Source: Variety