Yes, Warner Bros. and Max are indeed doing a TV/streaming series based on Harry Potter. The series recently went on a search for writers/showrunners to lead the adaptations of the seven books. According to Deadline, the list is now narrowed down to three candidates. The candidates are: Francesca Gardiner, Tom Moran, and Kathleen Jordan. The three of them will hone pitches over the next couple of months with a decision on the job to come in June 2024 from Warner Bros.. Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced that the first season of the show is slated to debut on Max in 2026.
The search is being led by Casey Bloys and Channing Dungey of WBTV. They’ve already been through two rounds of selections for writers and creatives. Also involved with the process has been series creator J.K. Rowling. Here’s what Zaslav had to say about the meetings.
“I was in London a few weeks ago with Casey and Channing, and we spent some real time with JK and her team. Both sides just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great.”
For these three writers, there’s only one that’ll be selected for this show as the main writer, but their ideas could be used or selected for other Harry Potter or Wizarding World content. Gardiner comes from Succession and The Man In The High Castle. Moran is a British writer who’s worked on The Devil’s Hour and The Feed. Jordan created the series Teenage Bounty Hunters for Netflix.
The Harry Potter series will be produced by Brontë Film and TV, the production company chaired by Rowling’s agent Neil Blair, and Warner Bros Television. The pair will exec produce with Brontë CEO Ruth Kenley-Letts and David Heyman, who produced the movies, was in talks to exec produce.
Rowling’s Wizarding World, spawned from Rowling’s seven bestselling Harry Potter books at 600 million copies worldwide, spans retail stores, theme parks, a global stage play and a $7.7 billion global-grossing feature franchise as well as the $1.8 billion-grossing spinoff Fantastic Beasts movies.
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Source: Deadline
