Credit: Warner Bros.When it was announced that Harry Potter was undergoing a transfiguration into a seven-season-long television series on HBO, the Wizarding World was rocked to its core.
The idea of replacing the beloved eight films and every single actor who plays the iconic characters that occupy them sounds like an elaborate prank Fred and George Weasley might play. But it turns out that the upcoming HBO series won’t be the last time Harry Potter is rebooted.
In an interview with NME, Robert Oberschelp, Warner Bros. Discovery’s head of global consumer products, said the franchise will be comparable to Batman at some point in the future, saying, “How many different Batmans are there?”, adding that Harry Potter fans will eventually ask, “What Harry [Potter] are you?”, which suggests that several actors will wind up portraying the Boy Who Lived in the same way many stars have donned the Batsuit.
Exactly how many Harry Potter reboots there will be remains to be seen (given the franchise’s unwavering success, like many other IPs, it will likely outlive us all). Either way, the new television series will be the first to recast the iconic character, with a new actor replacing Daniel Radcliffe.
Slated for release sometime in 2026, the show will be a more “faithful adaptation” of JK Rowling’s novels and will span seven seasons–one for each book.
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While no actors have been confirmed, an official casting call is underway.
Meanwhile, Ready Player One star Mark Rylance is reportedly the favorite to portray Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who was previously played by Richard Harris (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets), Michael Gambon (Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows parts one and two), and Jude Law (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore).
JK Rowling is involved as an executive producer and reportedly has the “final say” on casting. Francesca Gardiner (HBO’s Succession and His Dark Materials and Killing Eve) is showrunner and executive producer, and Mark Mylod (also behind Succession as well as Game of Thrones and The Last of Us) is also executive producer and will direct several episodes.
Watch the teaser for the upcoming Harry Potter series below, per Max:
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While the HBO series will be hugely popular (whether in a good way or a bad way), Warner Bros. previously confirmed that “the eight films will remain at the core of the franchise,” which suggests that real-life Wizarding World locations such as the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London — The Making of Harry Potter, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios theme parks, and the upcoming themed attractions set to open at Universal Epic Universe, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and 1920s Paris/Place Cachée, will retain the film series’ brand.
Still, the idea of one reboot is disheartening, let alone multiple. This news also heavily implies that the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are unlikely to ever return to the Harry Potter universe, despite rumors they might do so in a film adaptation of the West End play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child–which may wind up being one of the other reboots Oberschelp is alluding to.
Do you think Warner Bros. should just leave Harry Potter alone? Sound off in the comments below!