Harry Potter TV Series Reportedly in Development at HBO
It was only a matter of time.
A Harry Potter TV series is in the early stages of development at HBO, according to multiple reports. The live-action series is in the very early stages, with no names yet attached.
It’s expected that the series will have a built-in fan base. In addition to the best-selling books, the eight films in the franchise have been extremely lucrative. Distributed by Warner Bros., they movies began with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which premiered in 2001, and (seem to) have ended in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
The franchise, notes The Hollywood Reporter, has complicated rights issues.Rowling controls the franchise, but “NBCUniversal in 2016 inked a seven-year rights deal with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution that included U.S. broadcast, cable and streaming rights [until] April 2025.” As a result, it notes, “Warners execs had to make a side deal that allowed all of the Harry Potter features to briefly stream on HBO Max when the service launched last May.”
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