It has been more than a quarter-century since J.K. Rowling introduced readers to the Wizarding World with her beloved 1997 fantasy novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (also known as The Philosopher’s Stone), which not only transformed the book industry but also led to one of the most successful film franchises of all time. Multiple decades, and eight movies later, the timeless collection of books is getting the small-screen treatment in the form of a new streaming series.
Announced during the official rollout of the Max streaming service back in 2023, the upcoming Harry Potter TV show will one day bring the full scope and scale of Rowling’s novels to viewers like never before. Here is everything we know about the Harry Potter TV show right now.
What Is The Harry Potter TV Show’s Premiere Date?
An exact premiere date has not yet been announced, but Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed in a February 2024 earnings call (via Variety) that the show would land on Max at some point in 2026. With Max, like other streaming services, not following the traditional fall or winter release schedule for major shows, it’s anyone’s guess as to when the Harry Potter series will debut on the platform.
The Harry Potter TV Show Will Feature A New Cast Of Actors
Over the course of 10 years and eight movies (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was split into two theatrical releases), we all watched as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and the various other younger members of the Harry Potter cast grew from small children to young adults, becoming massive superstars in the process. But we won’t be seeing those actors with the upcoming TV adaptation, at least not in the roles that made them famous all those years ago.
When announcing the new project, Max's release stated that the series will feature a new group of actors. This means we should be on the lookout for all kinds of casting rumors, wish lists, and announcements in the future. And who knows, maybe Ian McKellen can finally play Professor Dumbledore after all this time.
A Decade-Long Series Is Planned
Another point of interest when it comes to the Harry Potter TV series is that the Max streaming series is planned to be released over the course of a decade, with stories from each of J.K. Rowling’s seven books being adapted. While it hasn’t yet been revealed if this will translate to 10 seasons released in consecutive years or seven seasons (one per book) with some seasons being broken up into parts, the plan of a decade-long series is exciting news and should have fans very optimistic about its future.
The Harry Potter Teaser Takes You Back To Hogwarts With Floating Candles And John Williams’ Iconic Score
On the same day Max announced that the Harry Potter TV show would bring the exciting adventures of “The Boy Who Lived” to a new generation, the streamer’s various social channels, like its official Twitter account, released a brief teaser trailer welcoming everyone to Hogwarts, be it the first time in years or first time entirely. Check it out below:
As you probably noticed by now, the teaser doesn’t offer any major details about the show, its cast, or how it will adapt the beloved fantasy books into a TV show, but the Great Hall’s floating candles and John Williams’ iconic score are more than enough to hold us over for now.
The Harry Potter TV Show Will Be A ‘Faithful’ Adaptation Of J.K. Rowling’s Book Series
Though the Harry Potter movies did a tremendous job of bringing J.K. Rowling’s books to life on the big screen, there was a lot that was left out in the adaptations, most likely due to the length of the later novels. Well, that hopefully won't be a problem with the Harry Potter series as the TV format allows for a “faithful adaptation” of the source material, as Max has announced. Following the big announcement, Rowling had this to say about the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation:
Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I'm looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.
Max has also announced that the new show will be “authentic to the original books” and will bring the popular property to new audiences around the world, as Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content put it:
We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.
But this doesn’t mean that the eight Harry Potter movies will be yesterday’s news, as Warner Bros. and Max still hold the films “at the core of the franchise.”
Succession’s Francesca Gardiner Is Reportedly Among The List Of Finalists For The Harry Potter Writing Gig
Though we don’t yet know who will be writing and serving as the showrunner for the Harry Potter TV series, we do know that Warner Bros. Discovery and Max have narrowed the search to three candidates. In February 2024, Deadline reported that it was down to Francesca Gardiner, Tom Moran, and Kathleen Jordan for one of the most coveted jobs in TV.
Each writer in contention for the position would bring with them a great deal of experience to the live-action adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s beloved fantasy novels. Gardiner, who served as a producer on Succession throughout the show’s final two seasons, has also worked on His Dark Materials and Killing Eve in recent years. Moran, who created The Devil’s Hour and wrote its entire first season, has also worked on shows like The Feed and Wild Bill. Jordan, the creator of Netflix’s Teenage Bounty Hunters, has also produced shows like Hack My Life, Pacific Warriors, and The Prancing Elites Project.
According to the Deadline report mentioned above, a final decision on the show’s lead writer could be announced as early as June.
J.K. Rowling Will Serve As An Executive Producer For The Harry Potter Series
J.K. Rowling won’t be writing the Harry Potter TV series, but the author responsible for the landmark fantasy franchise will be serving as an executive producer, as reported by Deadline. And while we don’t yet know all of Rowling’s responsibilities for the series, the outlet did report that she is expected to be involved with the decision-making process throughout its development and production.
This won’t be the first time Rowling has had a say in an adaptation of her popular book series as she helped Steve Kloves when the screenwriter was working on the scripts for the various Harry Potter movies. She later received producer credits for the final two entries in the series as well as the three Fantastic Beasts movies, which were based on characters she wrote.
The Show Will Have A Budget On The Same Scale As Game Of Thrones
Though Max has yet to come out and explicitly provide an exact figure when it comes to the budget of the Harry Potter TV show, The Hollywood Reporter quoted Casey Bloys as saying the series will be on the same level as those of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, which have gone down as some of the most expensive shows of all time. According to THR, the first season of the GoT spinoff series cost HBO around $125 million after everything was said and done.
When asked about the cost of the upcoming series, Bloys expressed that the streamer was willing to do “whatever it takes to make a quality show.” Obviously, this is something Max is very much invested in seeing through.
The Harry Potter TV Show Has Been Talked About Since 2021
The Harry Potter TV show was officially unveiled in April 2023, but there has been talk of turning J.K. Rowling’s books into a streaming series at HBO Max for a couple of years now. Back in January 2021, The Hollywood Reporter published a story revealing that a live-action TV series set within the Wizarding World was in development. Though all the major players involved with the franchise dismissed these claims at the time, with Max's official announcement on their plans for a series, it is now all but guaranteed that we will soon be treated to a decade-long small-screen journey through the halls of Hogwarts.
There is still a lot we don’t yet know about the Harry Potter TV show, but expect that to change in the coming weeks and months, especially as the creative team is ironed out and casting announcements start rolling in. While we wait for more, check out the 2024 TV schedule so you don’t miss out on all the new and returning shows you can watch with a Max subscription.
