A TV adaptation of the best-selling Harry Potter novels is said to be in the works and nearing a deal, more than a decade after the final film in the franchise was released.
There are also reportedly attempts to bring the books’ author JK Rowling on board as a producer, although a deal is yet to be made.
The first Harry Potter book, The Philosopher’s Stone, was released 26 years ago in 1997, quickly becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
There are seven instalments of the series, ending with Deathly Hallows, with the first of eight films with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint premiering in 2001.
Bloomberg alleges that HBO – which is owned by Warner Bros Discovery – is close to reaching a deal to create a TV series based on the tale of the boy wizard, who survives what should have been a deadly attack by the world’s most feared wizard when he’s just a baby.
The publication claims that the report comes from ‘a person with knowledge of the matter’, with each season of the show supposedly set to be based on each book.
David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, and HBO boss Casey Bloys are said to have been trying to persuade Rowling to get involved with the series as a producer.
The source said that Rowling wouldn’t be involved in the televised adaptation as the primary creator, nor would she lead the day-to-day running of the production, but she would ensure that the programme ‘remains loyal’ to the original source material if a deal is struck.
The publication said that a spokesperson for Warner Bros declined to comment, as the film and entertainment studio gears up to announce a new streaming strategy in the coming days.
While some fans think that there could be promise in a TV adaptation, others reckon it’s a ‘bad idea’ and question the need for it to be made.
‘I love Harry Potter but this seems like a bad idea. The original series was incredibly well cast and while there are advantages to a tv series I just do not see the point at this juncture,’ one person tweeted.
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‘Why though? No seriously, can anyone give me a solid reason as to why we would need a damn reboot when the movies captured the magic almost flawlessly?’ another remarked.
Someone else wrote: ‘Who thought making a Harry Potter tv series was a good idea? It’s obviously not going to last past the first series.’
Earlier this year, Rowling said that she didn’t care about ‘ruining’ her legacy over her views on the trans community and gender issues, having sparked controversy and been accused of being transphobic for her past remarks, which she has denied.
‘I’m constantly told that I have betrayed my own books, but my position is that I’m absolutely upholding the positions that I took in Potter,’ she said.
‘My position is that this activist movement in the form that it’s currently taking, echoes the very thing that I was warning against in Harry Potter.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Warner Bros, HBO and JK Rowling for comment.
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