TMC is rebroadcasting “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” this Monday, the penultimate film in the saga released in 2010.
Fourteen years later, HBO is working on a TV series which will be on screens in 2027.
Director, screenplay, casting… TF1info takes stock of one of the most exciting projects of the moment.
Like it or not, Harry Potter will soon have a new face… and all the characters in the saga too! If many fans will undoubtedly still be (re)seeing the seventh and penultimate film in the saga this Monday evening on TMC, almost all of them know that the latter will soon be reborn in the form of a TV series. An ambitious project whose details are still being delivered in a trickle while filming is due to begin next summer for broadcast in 2027.
Where did the idea for a series come from?
The most lucrative literary saga of all time, with more than 660 million copies sold, the adventures of the wizard Harry Potter were the subject of eight films which grossed $7.7 billion at the box office from 2001 to 2011. JK Rowling ruling out a sequel to the story of Harry, Ron and Hermione, Warner first convinced her to write a spin-off trilogy, Fantastic Beastswhich grossed $1.8 billion between 2016 and 2022. Surprise in the spring of the following year: the studio announced a new adaptation of the seven original books in the form of a TV series. That is, one season per volume, with a view to broadcasting which could extend over ten years on the HBO Max platform.
Who writes and directs?
The screenwriters' strike in Hollywood in the summer of 2023 delayed the project for several months. After putting several teams in competition, the producers set their sights on a duo composed of screenwriter Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod. At 41, the former cut her teeth by adapting His Dark Materials: At the crossroads of worldsa fantasy series inspired by the novels of the writer Philip Pullman, a universe not so far from the work of JK Rowling
Co-producer of Killing Eveshe also served as a consultant on seasons 3 and 4 of Succession on which she crossed paths with Mark Mylod. At 59 years old, the latter is a big name in TV series since he has directed numerous episodes of Game of Thrones. We also owe him The Menua delicious horror comedy released in theaters in 2022 with Ralph – Voldemort – Fiennes in the lead role.
Where is the casting?
If this new adaptation is in good hands, everyone is waiting for the actors who will have the difficult task of succeeding Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and their comrades at Hogwarts. To recruit its new magical trio, HBO launched a casting call last September stipulating that the contenders had to be between 9 and 11 years old and from the United Kingdom or Ireland. Important detail: the producers agreed that the distribution would be “inclusive and diverse“.
In order to obtain an appointment with the production, each candidate had to send two videos: one in which he presents himself, the other in which he performs a short story or a poem of his choice. Questioned at the beginning of December by the GuardianMark Mylod revealed that his teams had received no less than 32,000 applications! He promises that they will all be viewed in order to arrive at a short list of candidates with whom he will begin working after the Christmas holidays.
As in the films, the production decided to surround its apprentice sorcerers with experienced actors. According to VarietyMark Rylance would be at the top of the list to play Aldous Dumbledore after Richard Harris, Michael Gambon and Jude Law while Paapa Essiedu could play Professor Severus Snape after Alan Rickman. Questioned on the American channel Bravo at the beginning of December, Ralph Fiennes said he was in favor of the idea of Cillian Murphy succeeding him in the costume of Voldemort. Just a rumor, for now…
Is JK Rowling involved?
If the Harry Potter saga remains immensely popular, the same cannot be said of its creator. For several years, JK Rowling has alienated many fans of the saga by multiplying controversial, if not shocking, statements against trans people. Tackled several times by Daniel Radcliffe and his partners, she remained firm in her positions, like her comments against the Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif this summer.
In January 2022, the novelist was excluded from the special broadcast filmed by HBO to mark the 20th anniversary of the first film. Despite the controversies, she will be credited as executive producer on the series after having validated the recruitment of Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod. “JK Rowling has the right to express her opinions“, defended the boss of the channel Casey Bloys to journalists last November. “We are focused on the development of the new series which will only benefit from his involvement.“.
