Despite previous rumors in January, HBO confirmed there's no current live-action Harry Potter television series being developed for its streaming service, HBO Max.
"There are no deals in place," Casey Bloys, the chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, told THR.
Bloys added, "I would go back to a more global statement on franchises: I think DC, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter -- Warner Bros. has decades of important IP, Harry Potter being one of those. It's a great advantage for WarnerMedia and of course, we want to use them in a way that makes either viewers, subscribers, fans happy."
Previously, it was reported that HBO was in the process of meeting with writers to develop a television series based on The Wizarding World. When asked further about this fact, that sources claimed HBO was hearing pitches at this time at the executive level, Bloys replied, "I have nothing to add beyond your diligent reporting." Bloys neither denied nor confirmed what pitches, how many and who was potentially pitching a series with the network.
When pressed further for an answer to a possible project stage by Deadline, Boys said, "I wouldn’t even say it’s embryonic at this point," denying that any writers were attached to a project currently.
Currently, NBC Universal owns exclusive streaming rights to the Harry Potter film franchise -- including its spinoff film series based on the in-world Harry Potter textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them -- which is set to expire in 2025. All eight Harry Potter films from the original series are currently available to stream on NBC Universal's streaming platform, Peacock.
While there's no confirmed television project in the works, the Harry Potter universe is continuing on the big screen with its prequel spin-off series. The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel, Fantastic Beasts 3: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is in production but currently on pause due to a member of the crew testing positive for coronavirus.
Penned by author J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone released in 1997 and launched a seven-book series that includes The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows. Each novel was subsequently adapted into film by Warner Bros., starting with The Sorcerer's Stone in 2001.