Harry Potter is returning on TV, but what do we know about the reboot?
The 'Harry Potter' franchise is being rebooted as a TV series that will span all seven books and last 10 years, but what do we know about the HBO project which is coming in 2026?
'Harry Potter' fans will soon have a chance to relive the excitement of the wizarding world as HBO have announced a new television series based on J. K. Rowling's seven books, which we turned into eight feature films.
Rumours about a reboot have circulated for years since the saga's big screen end in 2011, but it wasn’t until last year that the project was confirmed. During an April 2023 MAX streaming event, Warner Bros. announced its collaboration with HBO and Bronte Film and TV to bring the story back to life.
The series is set to premier on streaming platform Max – formerly HBO Max - in 2026. With plans for at least seven seasons – one for each book – the decade-long project aims to explore the novels’ narratives in greater depth than the films.
CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, said: “My wife and I, we read [the 'Harry Potter' books] to each of our three kids… It’s really moving, for 10 consecutive years, people will see 'Harry Potter' on [HBO]; I mean it’s really something."
Though a direct adaptation of the novels, the films were met with reactions from fans that felt that many important details brought up in the books had been omitted – from physical appearances to actual changes in the plot.
Warner Bros. Discovery have assured fans that their adaptation will be a "faithful adaptation of the beloved original ‘Harry Potter’ books".
Rowling is set to serve as an executive producer throughout the process, upholding the integrity of the original stories, however, the announcement of her involvement with the series sparked mixed reactions amongst the fanbase.
While many ‘Harry Potter’ fanatics expressed excitement at the prospect of the series' more in-depth take of the novels, others are reluctant to support a project linked to Rowling due to her controversial rhetoric on transgender issues.
The 59-year-old author has become a polarising figure due to her outspoken views on the trans community and her position that real women's rights must be protected at all costs. The controversy first began in 2018 when Rowling liked a Tweet that referred to transgender women as "men in dresses". A spokesperson for Rowling dismissed these allegations as an innocent mistake, but concerns arose again not long after. Just a year later, Rowling received backlash once again after following a self-proclaimed 'transphobe' on X – formerly Twitter. Despite ongoing criticism, Rowling has continued to echo this rhetoric, further polarizing her fanbase.
After Scotland's Hate Crime and Public Order Act was enacted in 2021, Rowling took to her social media to proclaim: "I look forward to being arrested when I return to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment."
Such statements have fuelled the fire among fans and activists alike.
A critic for Vulture, Kathryn VanArendonk, expressed her discontentment on her X: "This faithful adaptation of 'Harry Potter', announced with absolutely bull**** craven disdain for Rowling’s political impact, is bad."
Similarly, Out Magazine shared on their X: "We don’t want any new 'Harry Potter' content if noted transphobe J.K. Rowling is involved.”
Despite of the widespread backlash, Warner Bros. Television remains committed to their partnership with the author. In June of 2022, a Studio Tour London spokesperson said in a statement shared with Variety: "Warner Bros. has enjoyed a creative, productive, and fulfilling partnership with J.K. Rowling for the past 20 years. She is one of the world’s most accomplished storytellers, and we are proud to be the studio to bring her vision, characters, and stories to life now – and for decades to come.”
Alongside Rowling, the 'Succession' duo Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod will contribute to writing, directing and producing the series.
With production on the horizon, the search for the next Harry, Hermione and Ron -- the film's iconic trio -- are underway. Aspiring young actors in Ireland and the United Kingdom are encouraged to submit audition tapes showcasing their abilities to the agency. The team has requested that auditionees use their own accent.
A casting notice went out on the official 'Harry Potter' X account in September insisting their is a commitment to “inclusive” and “diverse” casting, emphasizing the importance of representation in the new series.
At MIPCOM's C-Suite Conversations on October 21, Warner Bros. Television Group’s chairman and CEO, Channing Dungey, provided some insight into the current state of the project: “We’ve got our fantastic writing staff in place and they are doing what they need to do. And casting calls have opened up in the UK and Ireland, so the process is moving along. It’s going quite well.”
She added that her involvement in the series is an "unbelievable dream, honestly, and as somebody who is a huge fan of the books, the opportunity to get to explore them in a little bit more in-depth that you can in just a two-hour film… that’s the whole reason we’re on this journey".
As new actors will soon be coming to fill these iconic roles, some former cast members have shared their thoughts on the reboot. Daniel Radcliffe, who rose to fame at only 12 years old thanks to his portrayal of Harry, told ComicBook.com: “My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere. So I’m definitely not seeking it out in any way. But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it."
Rupert Grint - who portrayed Ron Weasley - echoed similar sentiment in an interview with GQ Magazine UK, saying: "I think there’d be a feeling of passing the baton, letting someone else play Ron. It’s weird because I’m protective over him, I could relate to him so much, and then I was picked to bring him to life. That’s hard to let go. But it would be nice to, as well.”
While Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, has not made any official statements regarding the reboot, she has expressed her deep connection to the film series that made her a household name. The actress took to her Instagram in 2021 to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary, penning: “Harry Potter was my home, my family, my world and Hermione (still is) my favourite fictional character of all time.”
Watson has adapted to various roles since the saga's end. Perhaps most notably, her role in the 2012 romance drama ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’, where she plays a high school senior who becomes friendly with a depressed freshman. In 2019, Watson starred in the award winning ‘Little Women’ alongside Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Timothée Chalamet. More recently, the actress has expressed her interest in exploring other sectors of the entertainment industries. In an interview with British Vogue, she said:
“I don’t see myself as having stepped away from acting, I just see myself as wanting to expand what I do and being able to be in things that I have written or directed or produced.”
The beloved trio was reunited for an HBO Max celebration of the franchise's two-decade anniversary, and as they prepare to step aside for a new generation of talent, fans eagerly await the revival of the world of Harry Potter.
With a fresh approach, the ‘Harry Potter’ reboot seems to be an exciting new chapter in the saga.
