Report: Harry Potter Spinoff Series Being Considered for HBO Max

Report: Harry Potter Spinoff Series Being Considered for HBO Max

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter may be coming to streaming. The Hollywood Reporter says WarnerMedia is actively seeking out writers and ideas to bring the franchise to its HBO Max streaming service.

No one has officially been attached yet so the project may not actually come to fruition but the fact it’s under consideration at all is intriguing. After the final Potter film was released in 2011, the company has been actively seeking to keep the franchise going. The biggest examples are the Fantastic Beasts prequels, of which there are already two films with a third on the way. Plus, the franchise’s creator, J.K. Rowling, helped bring the story to the stage as well with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Of course, any mention of Harry Potter these days bears a bit of a dark mark. In recent years, the author has revealed herself to be a transphobe and while the THR report has no explicit mention of her involvement yet, the franchise is hers. If a show is created, even if she has no creative input, she will make money off it.

[referenced id=”1471633″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/09/she-still-gets-your-money/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/19/xucgrathhr82j36in6tf-300×169.png” title=”She Still Gets Your Money” excerpt=”A few days ago at Sony’s splashy PlayStation 5 showcase event, a long-rumoured video game made its official debut: Hogwarts Legacy, an action-RPG set in the universe created by the current celebrity face of anti-trans hate, J.K. Rowling. Approaching media created by problematic figures is always a messy prospect, but…”]

That said, the Wizarding World is a world ripe with possibilities. There’s no shortage of ways a creative team could explore it without touching upon Harry Potter and his core characters. Works have mentioned other schools, historical time periods, and side characters neither Rowling or WarnerMedia has explored yet. Plus, it’s obviously one of the most viable, popular, and lucrative franchises in the world. Even with Rowling’s disgusting recent history, the Wizarding World is a place many, many fans would gladly escape back into.

But, again, “There are no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform,” the company told the THR. This is all very, very early on. If you don’t have a time turner, it might be a while.