The planned Harry Potter TV series at Warner Bros. has been in development for the past few years and the studio made the announcement earlier this year that they’re aiming for a 2026 release. The new TV series adaptation will be transforming each of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels into a single season, meaning that the entire series could span seven seasons or more. David Zaslav revealed that he met with J.K. Rowling in London for the high-profile project back in February.
The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that the show has hired on some key creative team members to guide the Harry Potter series adaptation. Succession‘s Francesca Gardiner has been tapped to be the writer and showrunner, while Mark Mylod has signed on to direct multiple episodes. Both Gardiner and Mylod have won Emmys for their work on Succession as producers, as well as their similar respective positions as writer and director.
Recently it was reported that HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys is “changing the delineation” in regards to the distribution. Upcoming shows that were developed exclusively for Max will switch over to HBO and the Harry Potter series is included. “We felt like we had to delineate between an HBO show and a Max show,” Bloys said. “The idea of using Warner Bros. IP as a delineation for Max felt right. At least that gives you a clear lane. But as we started producing those shows, we were using the same methods, the same kind of thinking, as how we would approach HBO shows. In a lot of cases, the same talent that has worked on HBO shows.“
The director of many of the Harry Potter films, David Yates, will not continue with the property. Back when Yates was promoting Pain Hustlers, he stated, “Do you know what? Honestly, I could not, in any conceivable way, get involved…It’s simply: I spent a long time at that school, in those corridors and in those classrooms, and it was an exquisite experience and one I will always treasure. But to go back and do another year or two, for me, I feel I’ve left it.”
Last year, the studio released a statement saying, “Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”