The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is conjuring more magic for the franchise’s future with plans to bring HBO’s upcoming TV series and WB’s Hogwarts Legacy sequel together for a unique storytelling experience. “We have known for some time that fans are looking for more things in this world, and so we’re spending a lot of time thinking about that,” David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, told Variety. “Our insights tell us that there are not huge distinctions between a younger version of a fan and an older version of a fan. They’re just deep ‘Harry Potter’ fans, and we try to build authentic experiences to delight them.”
Regarding the effort to integrate the Wizarding World of Harry Potter across mediums, the upcoming sequel to 2023’s Hogwarts Legacy video game will incorporate “big-picture storytelling elements” with plotlines making their way into HBO’s Harry Potter TV series. According to Haddad, the overwhelming success of Hogwarts Legacy, which sold over 30 million copies globally, earning over $1 billion in revenue, helped energize the network’s desire for an episodic retelling of the world-famous story.
J.K. Rowling is not involved in managing the franchise; however, Warner Bros. Discovery executives will keep her in the loop, particularly if new material could alter the established canon. Everyone involved in the franchise’s future wants everything to be copacetic. You don’t get the keys to one of the entertainment industry’s most significant cash cows without running your plans up the flagpole.
Marrying HBO’s Harry Potter TV series with the Hogwarts Legacy sequel isn’t the only way WB plans to expand the franchise. A cooking competition show, Wizards of Baking, is also coming.
“When the merger happened, the Potter IP was first and foremost in my mind,” Betsy Ayala, the Food Network channel leader, says. “So I immediately called Dan Sacks at Warner Horizon and was like, ‘What do you think about us doing “Harry Potter” together with Food?’ And he was like, ‘I was actually thinking the same thing.’ So we immediately hit the ground running.”
Are you excited about WB’s plans to expand the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with new shows and interactive experiences? Do you think the original story needs an episodic reboot? Let us know in the comments section below.