Max announces new Harry Potter tv series. Faithful to the books, Ten year project, Game of Thrones level production.

[The Predaking]

‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Due To Hit HBO In 2026: Everything We Know About The Cast, Who’s Creating It, What J.K. Rowling Says & More

All the news on HBO's streaming 'Harry Potter' TV series, including cast, release date, how to watch, development and whether J.K. Rowling will be involved.

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I know that a lot of you folks won't like this because of JK Rowling, and lot of folks won't like it because the original films were mostly great. However, this series is supposed to be more faithful to the books, and I would love to see that. It is schedule to begin airing 2025/2026, and they haven't even picked a show runner yet.

 

[Confuzor]

I have a friend who is convinced this is purely JK rebooting the franchise to work out the 3 main leads who have been vocally in support of the social issues she...isn't in support of.

Not sure how much I believe that but I don't completely discount it either.

 

[Shadewing]

I read an article about a week ago on this, about how HBO tried to actually buy the rights just to NOT have JK involved, but her demands for such were ridiculous. So if its true, they at least made an effort to try and divorce her from the material.

 

[Paladin]

You cannot separate the artist from the art when said artist is actively using the profits from their art to harm people.

 

[ZacWilliam1]

Yeah, once upon a time I would have at least been interested to see how this went. Now you couldn't pay me enough to watch any of it.

-ZacWilliam, there are so many so much better things out there without the stain she brings

 

[CoffeeHorse]

This will never be completed. The ratings will not support a 10 year adaptation.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

I read an article about a week ago on this, about how HBO tried to actually buy the rights just to NOT have JK involved, but her demands for such were ridiculous. So if its true, they at least made an effort to try and divorce her from the material.

Glad to know they tried, as I'd been saying that's what they should do.

But of course, she has to go and ruin that, too.

 

[Daith]

Really the only main thing I would want from this that didn’t see the light in the original films would be years away anyways. And with JK poisoning the well it’s tough to say if they would actually get to SPEW.

 

[The Predaking]

Well, the first two years/seasons wouldn't be that much different form the original films, just with a little more expanded content. I wonder how that will work for them? You know, as the books continue they get longer and have more content. Is season one going to have 8 episodes and season 6 have 15 episodes? Or will they add new content to the earlier books to make them all a standard 10-13 episode season?

 

[The Predaking]

This will never be completed. The ratings will not support a 10 year adaptation.

I am wondering if it will survive long enough to get to the actual stories where the films divulge from the books. I mean, the third book is really where it starts to occur more, and that won't air until 2029!

 

[Pocket]

It's been so long since I cracked any of those books that I don't even remember what the movies left out that might be worth retaining—aside from the detail of James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius being the ones who created the Marauder's Map. I can, however, think of two things the movies left out that were probably a smart idea: the subplot that basically amounted to Rowling saying chattel slavery is Good, Actually and the fifth book being so crammed with pointless filler that it ended up being the shortest movie in the series with nothing of value lost.

 

[Pocket]

Oh, and with Rowling being such poison at this point, good luck getting the finest minds in Hollywood on board to work on this. I predict that they're going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel and the results will reflect that. And that goes for what happens behind the scenes as well as on screen; the Harry Potter movies have the best track record of any franchise for how its child stars were treated and managed to grow up well-adjusted; good luck making that happen again under the guidance of Hollywood's most problematic personnel.

 

[The Predaking]

It's been so long since I cracked any of those books that I don't even remember what the movies left out that might be worth retaining—aside from the detail of James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius being the ones who created the Marauder's Map. I can, however, think of two things the movies left out that were probably a smart idea: the subplot that basically amounted to Rowling saying chattel slavery is Good, Actually and the fifth book being so crammed with pointless filler that it ended up being the shortest movie in the series with nothing of value lost.

Off the top of my head:

Harry getting the Firebolt before he even met Sirius.
Pretty much all of the Qudditch matches in the book.
SPEW and why Hermonie finally forgave Ron.
Hermonie black mailing the illegal Animagus reporter
Pretty much all of the romance in the sixth book
Pretty much all the mystery of who the half blood prince is.

 

[Shadewing]

the fifth book being so crammed with pointless filler that it ended up being the shortest movie in the series with nothing of value lost.

That was always my least favorite book, it just dragged on, and Harry near pointless and endless emo period didn't help. The 5th movie is certainly the one I can say is superior to the book. Everything important is kept, Harry's teen angst is toned down but still present and important to the story. Its still the best way to experience that story. So I certainly wouldn't be eager for a more book accurate version; not that I would anyway with JK's actions and having little interest in the franchise thanks to her; but I still feel book 5 is the one that would end up worse for trying to be more accurate.

 

[Confuzor]

As someone who only watched the movies, if they get there, theyre gonna have to explain what the hell that gateway Sirius fell into was.

 

[Stepwise]

I don't think it was explained well in the books, either.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

JK Rowling's prose was always kinda bad.

 

[The Predaking]

Its an execution arch. Like the Threstals, you react differently to it if you have seen death.

 

[Axaday]

I really don't see the point. The books are available and were all bestsellers. They aren't esoteric and they aren't unapproachable. They were made with older children and young teens in mind.

And the movies are good adaptations. There is some divergence, mostly to save time, but you always get that in an adaptation and there is nothing wrong with that as a general fact of life. People may disagree about whether every dropped thing was a good choice. (I had my wife watch Deathly Hallows before we went to the first Fantastic Beasts because I thought she'd need the background and I forgot that Deathly Hallows doesn't give much of anything about Dumbledore's childhood on screen) But something that I really don't want or need is for longform streaming shows to make reading redundant. I would like it always to be that "If you want to know more, go get the book"

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I like the idea of a truly complete adaptation of something, but I just don't see the audience for this one. They're banking on an audience that:

1: Still cares about Harry Potter to the point of wanting new content.
2: Isn't turned off by JK Rowling.
3: Isn't turned off by the idea of "replacing" the movies. Even if the two adaptations can theoretically coexist, there's going to be Harry Potter fans who simply hate the idea of this.