Posted in: Max, Movies, streaming, TV | Tagged: harry potter, jk rowling, max, warner bros discovery

Harry Potter Update: No Series Casting Until Showrunner Locked In

Warner Bros. TV Group head Channing Dungey offered an update on Max's Harry Potter series and pushed back on those casting rumors.

Late last week, reports hit that pitching sessions from writers offering their takes on Warner Bros. Discovery's original "Harry Potter" scripted series. Reportedly, Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran, Michael Lesslie, and others were commissioned by the streaming service. Though author & executive producer J.K. Rowling is expected to be directly involved in the overall creative direction of the series, it wasn't clear how involved she might be in this part of the process. Rumblings are that the first round of pitches took place in Los Angeles last week, with the top picks moving on to pitch in the UK. In addition, it's said that the streamer is "open to the possibility of developing more than one idea based on Harry Potter" and that more than one writer from the pitching process could end up coming aboard the project.

Speaking with Variety, Warner Bros. TV Group head Channing Dungey offered an update on where things stand as initial creative planning gets underway. "We're in conversations with a number of different writers to figure out who's going to be the person to lead that franchise for us," Dungey shared while also pushing back on reports that casting is already underway. "The first step for us is figuring out who this showrunner is going to be, and once we get that locked down, then we can start having those [casting] conversations." Dungey added, "The tricky part is the first two books, where the kids are on the younger end, around 11 or 12."

The stories from each of Rowling's Harry Potter books will become "a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love, and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of fantastic detail, much-loved characters, and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic, and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally." The series stems from Max in association with Brontë Film and TV & Warner Bros. Television. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts are set to executive produce, with David Heyman currently in talks to executive produce.

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