LONDON — Harry Potter followers, a few of whom have been casting spells for years in hopes of a tv sequence in regards to the boy wizard, can lastly put their wands down and rejoice.
Max, the brand new streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery, introduced on Wednesday that it had ordered a “Harry Potter” tv sequence primarily based on the novels by the British creator J.Ok. Rowling.
“We’re delighted to provide audiences the chance to find Hogwarts in a complete new manner,” Casey Bloys, the chairman and chief govt of HBO and Max content material, stated in a press release.
“Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon, and it’s clear there’s such a permanent love and thirst for the Wizarding World,” he stated. A information launch asserting the sequence stated it could be a “devoted adaptation” of the best-selling guide sequence, which spans seven books revealed between 1997 and 2007. Eight hit movies primarily based on the books had been launched between 2001 and 2011.
The upcoming present, which is described as a decade-long sequence, “will characteristic a brand new forged to guide a brand new technology of fandom, filled with the unbelievable element, much-loved characters and dramatic areas that Harry Potter followers have beloved for over 25 years,” in keeping with the discharge. It is going to be out there on Max in america and around the globe. No time-frame for the present’s launch was given.
Ms. Rowling, who has drawn waves of criticism lately over her remarks on gender id points, shall be an govt producer for the sequence.
“Max’s dedication to preserving the integrity of my books is vital to me, and I’m wanting ahead to being a part of this new adaptation which can enable for a level of depth and element solely afforded by a long-form tv sequence,” she stated in a press release.
Potterheads, a time period used to explain tremendous followers of “Harry Potter,” have been grappling with the creator’s feedback on transgender points for years. In 2020, she published an essay wherein she stated a motion of transgender activists was “looking for to erode ‘lady’ as a political and organic class and providing cowl to predators.”
Whereas Ms. Rowling has denied being anti-transgender, her remarks have pitted followers in opposition to each other, with some vowing to cease supporting the Potter franchise.
Regardless of the continued debate over Ms. Rowling, merchandise associated to Harry Potter proceed to promote. Earlier this 12 months, the Hogwarts Legacy online game offered greater than 12 million copies in two weeks.
The tv present is the most recent moneymaking arm of the Potter universe, which additionally embody characteristic movies, a stage play, stay leisure at theme parks, studio excursions and retail shops.
Max, the most recent entry into the crowded streaming market, will debut subsequent month, and can value roughly $16 a month for a commercial-free model and fewer for an advertising-supported tier.
Final April, WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. merged, including a brand new media large to the leisure trade. David Zaslav, the president and chief govt of Warner Bros. Discovery, offered shareholders on the deal partially by arguing that the mixed firm may have a profitable app.
