HBO's 'Harry Potter' Series Receives Disappointing Update
Don't expect production to start on HBO's "Harry Potter" series in the near future.
HBO is releasing a series focused on the legendary books from J.K. Rowling, and the belief is every single book will be a single season.
Original cast members from the movies aren't expected to return. That means it's a fresh start for everyone involved, and nobody is more influential in the early stages of development than the writers.
HBO executives shines a light on status of "Harry Potter" series.
Well, it doesn't sound like HBO has locked down any writers just yet. Instead, in June 2024, it sounds like they're still fleshing out ideas and finding someone to lead the way.
CEO of HBO and Max content Casey Bloys told Variety last week ahead of season two of "House of the Dragon" premiering:
One of the advantages that I think we have as a company, putting aside HBO for a second, is all the Warner Bros. IP. So after "House of the Dragon," the next big tentpole series that we have coming up will be the "Penguin" with Colin Farrell. That is coming out of Matt Reeves’ "The Batman" and it’s fantastic. Just like "Peacemaker" came out of James Gunn’s "Suicide Squad," it’s a really good example of what you can do. That’ll be in September. And then after that, I don’t know if we landed on a date yet, but later in the fall we’ll have the "Dune" prequel series that is about the origins of the Bene Gesserit. And then going into ’25, we will have Stephen King’s "It." Warner Bros. has done two films — we’ve got a prequel series of that planned as well. And then obviously, the "Harry Potter" series, further down the line. We’re still in the process of working with writers on their takes.
This is a less than ideal update, in my very humble opinion. Why? It's really not overly complicated. HBO is aiming for a 2026 release date.
Sounds super far away, right? Still a year and a half out. Why worry? Well, here's the issue and red flag with Bloys' saying the network is still "in the process of working with writers on their takes."
HBO's "Harry Potter" series is going to require significant production and post-production in order to be done correctly. Given that it's HBO we're talking about, it's a safe bet the ball won't be dropped.
HBO is planning on releasing a "Harry Potter" series in 2026. (Photo by Alex Wong/Newsmakers)
Let's just game plan this out. If writers are locked in by September, then it's unlikely writing finishes before early 2025. Once writing is finished, you'd hopefully have a cast pretty much ready to go. Let's say in the best case scenario, actual cameras start rolling in April 2025. At that point, you probably do get season one at some point in 2026, although it could be mid-to-late 2026.
Any hiccups and fans are looking at a 2027 release date. Remember, it was more than a year and half between the final two seasons of "Game of Thrones," and that was with the infrastructure already all in place.
HBO is starting from scratch with its "Harry Potter" series.
As a huge "Harry Potter" fan, I hope I'm just being pessimistic and HBO gets it figured out to where we don't have to wait long. Have some thoughts on the series or movies? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.