Live-Action Harry Potter TV Show Could Happen At HBO Max, But It's Early Days

Warner Bros. is in the planning stages for a live-action Harry Potter TV show. This is according to The Hollywood Reporter, which says the program is in "early development" for the streaming service HBO Max.

A Harry Potter TV show had been rumored for years, but this is the first time we're learning about some of the specifics. THR says executives from Warner Bros. have taken meetings with potential writers who are pitching "various ideas" for the show.

Don't get too excited yet, however, as it sounds like it's still very early days. "Sources say broad ideas have been discussed as part of the early-stage exploratory meetings," the report said.

While Warner Bros. may be taking meetings to find a writer and a pitch for the Harry Potter show, it's important to say nothing is final at this point. No writer has signed on and no actors have joined any project. THR says conversations are still in the "extremely early stages."

"There are no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform," the company told THR.

The eight mainline Harry Potter films made more than $7 billion at the global box office, and the franchise remains a juggernaut, so it's no surprise that Warner Bros. is exploring the idea of further spin-offs.

Right now, though, no new projects are officially in the works, so it's too soon to say when in the Harry Potter timeline a TV show might take place or what characters could show up.

Following the conclusion of the main series, Warner Bros. announced plans to make five spin-off films in the Fantastic Beasts series. Two have released already, and a third is shooting now. This project went through some upheaval recently, as Johnny Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as the main bad guy, Gellert Grindelwald, amid Depp's court case with Amber Heard.

Author J.K. Rowling has made controversial comments about gender and identity, but she remains a powerful player with her franchise. THR says she "controls the franchise and has a say in everything involving the property."

A new Harry Potter video game, the open-world RPG Hogwarts Legacy, is in development for next-gen consoles and PC. It was recently delayed to 2022.