While HBO working on a new series adaptation of the cycle Harry Potterthe management of Warner Bros. Discovery has clarified its plans for the cult license based on JK Rowling's novels.
Warner Bros lifts the veil on its strategy
Warner Bros. announced it several times; in the midst of a financial crisis, the Hollywood major intends to capitalize on its strongest licenses: Lord of the Rings, Game of ThronesDC and Harry Potter. But while relations between WB and JK Rowling seem to be strained over the Scottish writer's numerous positions considered transphobicfans have reason to be a little lost… Between the announcement of a new series produced by HBO and the virtual cancellation of the cycle Fantastic Beastsas actor Eddy Redmayne recently confirmed, it can be difficult to see clearly in the strategy adopted by Warner Bros. The very serious American media Variety has just published an article entitled Inside Harry Potter’s Franchise Future allowing the fog to dissipate a little.
First of all, Variety reminds that JK Rowling is not involved in the development of the franchise, and she is kept informed of Warner Bros.' various decisions. through his literary agent. If Robert Oberschelp, head of Warner Bros. licensing, assures that everyone is “at ease“, we nevertheless observe a clear decline in the position of the British writer, who in the 2010s actively participated in the writing of the saga Fantastic Beastssince she was credited as screenwriter on all three films. JK Rowling would even be seen as a “barrier to franchising“, according to the article.
For its part, Warner is working on a real Harry Potter 2.0 universe! If the main product of this new era of licensing will be the series developed by HBO, and of which we potentially discovered yesterday the face of one of the main performers, the program Wizards of Baking (or Harry Potter: Wizards of Pastry) will be responsible for reminding Max's subscribers of the existence of the Wizarding World and its potential. With a launch scheduled for November 21, the show will invite renowned chefs to the sets of the films and series Harry Potterwhere they will cook cakes worthy of the most beautiful Hogwarts banquets. The twins James and Oliver Phelps, who play Fred and George Weasley in the film saga, will be the prestigious hosts. They will invite members of the cast of the films Harry Pottertels que Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Warwick Davis (Professeur Flitwick) ou encore Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood). But if the program is successful and its renewal, we can naturally expect actors from the upcoming series to participate in future seasons. Enough to ensure the transition between the old and new generation of actors!
Moreover, the series Harry Potter will be for a time the Alpha and Omega of the license at Warner Bros.. The proof is: according to David Haddad, director of the video games branch of the major, the teams working on the sequel to the game Hogwarts Legacywhich exceeded 30 million units sold, coordinate the story so it can fit the series Harry Potter developed by HBO. In other words, Warner Bros. Discovery is pressing its different branches for the development of an extended universe of which the HBO series would be the heart. We can legitimately expect references to the series Harry Potter in the next Hogwarts Legacy and vice versa.
The other major axis on which Warner Bros. is working. Discovery regarding Harry Potter remains the merchandising and attractions of the Universal park. For the moment, no other Wizarding World series or film has been announced and the article from Variety does not mention it. It can, however, be assumed that Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO will be more transparent on this subject when promoting the first season of the series Harry Potterrenewing the film's communication strategy The Batman by Matt Reeves. Indeed, around the release of the feature film, Warner Bros. had teased several spin-off series, including The Penguincurrently being broadcast. Same thing with House of the Dragon : in the wake of the first season, HBO announced the start of a series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. We will therefore have to be patient to discover whether or not Warner is planning a series centered on the first Order of the Phoenix. Fingers crossed!
