Written By Kieran Bugg
Harry Potter will be rebooted as TV series for HBO Max, another bad decision from Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s official, too. A day that Wizarding World fans have dreaded for years has sadly arrived. Bloomberg has reported that Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to reboot the Harry Potter franchise.
Moreover, it’ll this time be made as an exclusive HBO Max TV show rather than a series of films. In this heartbreaking report, Bloomberg revealed that the studio are close to finalizing a deal according to their sources. They wrote:
“Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is close to a deal for a new online TV series based on Harry Potter, the best-selling young adult books, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.”
Harry Potter Reboot Is Another Controversial Blunder For Warner Bros.
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
Unsurprisingly, this decision was immediately met with huge backlash which just adds to the studio’s various ongoing controversies. In addition, each of the original Harry Potter books will receive its own respective season.
Bloomberg explained:
“Each season of the series will be based on one of JK Rowling’s seven books, said the people, who asked not to be identified since the deal hasn’t been announced, suggesting years of fresh fare from the popular stories.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav previously expressed interest in reviving the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises. New movies set in the world of Middle Earth were confirmed earlier this year by Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s unknown if they’ll expand on Peter Jackson’s original trilogy of films or another unnecessary full-on reboot.
After this Harry Potter revelation, the latter is sadly looking more likely. Furthermore, Bloomberg provided us with an explanation for this upsetting decision. The hope for Warner Bros. is to greatly expand their streaming strategy with Harry Potter being a major contributor. After all, the Wizarding World franchise is one of their most valuable and successful assets.
The outlet further said:
“The company is hoping the series can be one cornerstone of a new streaming strategy that will be announced next week by HBO’s parent, Warner Bros. That company’s chief executive officer, David Zaslav, and HBO chief Casey Bloys have worked to convince Rowling to produce a new series, but the deal hasn’t been completed.”
In recent years, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has found herself in a difficult position. Via Twitter, she’s posted multiple offensive comments about the transgender community which have unsurprisingly turned her into a public pariah. Warner Bros. Discovery have publicly stood by Rowling throughout the entirety of this situation.
Although fans have hoped that her role in the franchise’s future would be minimal. Nonetheless, the controversial author will still play a significant role in the development of this unwanted reboot.
Harry Potter Reboot Is Another Controversial Blunder For Warner Bros.
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
Rowling won’t be the show runner, but she’ll still work closely to ensure that the series remains faithful to her work.
The report states:
“The author will be involved in the series to ensure it remains loyal to her original material but will not run the show day to day or serve as its primary creator, the people said.”
In all honesty, this only proves that Warner Bros. is a complete mess right now. DC Studios continues to polarize fans with co-CEO James Gunn’s decision to reboot their cinematic universe. Followers are confused by what remains as canon. Thus, audiences virtually ignored Shazam! Fury of the Gods; it bombed huge at the box office. In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery announced Henry Cavill’s return as Superman, only to abruptly change direction.
The studio recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. If the real Warner Brothers could see their company today, they’d be turning in their graves.