Harry Potter TV series reported to be in early development at HBO Max

A spin-off TV series from the Harry Potter book and film franchise is being developed by streaming service HBO Max, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Although no talent has yet been signed on, and the focus of the series has not been decided, HBO executives have been holding talks with a number of different writers, exploring various potential story lines, with the intention of commissioning a series, sources told THR.

Officially, “there are no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform” according to a statement form HBO Max and Warner Bros.

HBO Max is backed by WarnerMedia, parent company of studio Warner Bros, which made the eight Harry Potter films and owns the franchise IP, along with writer JK Rowling.

This is not the first time the studio has sought to capitalise on one of its most valuable properties, which earned more than $7 billion worldwide across the eight films. Two prequels, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, were released in 2016 and 2018, with a third due in 2022, and two more planned after that. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a two-part play adapted by Jack Thorne from a story by Rowling, has also been running in the West End since 2016.

It remains to be seen whether the recent political controversy surrounding Rowling’s comments about transgender issues will affect the lucrativeness of the Harry Potter IP. Rowling became the subject of enormous online anger from some in the trans-community and its allies last year after she published an essay on her website about her fears around gender recognition laws.