Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday that a Harry Potter television series is currently in the works, with author J.K. Rowling coming on board as an executive producer.
The production house has said that the show will be “a faithful adaptation” of Rowling’s multi-million copy bestselling books about the boy wizard and his adventures.
A new cast will feature in the show, which is yet to start filming. The series will air on the entertainment company’s rebranded streaming service Max. Each of the books will be made into a decade-long series to properly flesh out characters and plots.
Speaking about the new series, Rowling said in a statement, “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series.”
At the same time, the author has been in the news for accusations of transphobia due to her emphasis on biological sex over gender identity in her comments regarding trans women. Despite these accusations, she denies being transphobic.
During a press conference, content head Casey Bloys, was asked about what repercussions such allegations might have on the newly-announced series.
“Obviously, the ‘Harry Potter’ story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority — what’s on screen.”
“She’s an executive producer on the show. Her insights are going to be helpful on that,” he said.
The Max streaming service brings together the platforms of HBO Max and Discovery Plus and is all set to launch in the United States on May 23. Alongside Harry Potter, a Game of Thrones prequel was also greenlit as part of its new programming.
