J.K. Rowling To Executive Produce New 'Harry Potter' Max Series

Author J.K. Rowling will serve as an executive producer on a new "Harry Potter" series for Max, formerly known as HBO Max.

The series will be based on the original seven books but feature a brand new cast. The series is expected to dive deeper into the books than the movies did and has been described as a "decades-long one" that will remain as faithful to the original book series as possible.

During Wednesday's presentation, as per Deadline, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said, “My wife and I, we read (the Harry Potter books) to each of our three kids," adding, "It’s really moving, for ten consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on HBO; I mean it’s really something.”

Although he said HBO, the series will be available to stream on the new streaming service, Max. HBO Max was shortened to just "Max" earlier today.

Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max content, went on to say, “We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way.”

“Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World," Bloys continued. "In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”

J.K. Rowling also released a short statement, saying, “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.”

 On New Year's Day, 2022, the "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts" special aired on HBO Max.

Although the look back at "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" featured many familiar faces looking back at the film at its 20-year anniversary, J.K. Rowling was only featured in archived footage and did not make an appearance in the special.

Many fans speculated that Rowling chose not to attend due to the increasing controversy over her transgender remarks that have divided the fandom; however, according to the best-selling author, she decided she "didn't want to" participate in the special.

In August 2022, the Hugo Award winner appeared on Virgin Radio Saturday and told host Graham Norton that she had been invited to the special but chose not to attend.

“I was asked to be on that, and I decided I didn’t want to do it,” she explained. “I thought it was about the films more than the books, quite rightly. That was what the anniversary was about,” she continued, adding, “No one said don’t [do it]… I was asked to do it and I decided not to.”

After the "Harry Potter" author posted a polarizing essay on her website in 2020, many stars of the film franchise voiced their support for the trans community.

“Harry Potter” himself, Daniel Radcliffe, was one of the first to speak up after releasing a long statement through The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization founded in 1998 that provides mental health services to LGBTQ+ youth.

“Transgender women are women,” he wrote. “Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.”

For his part, Daniel Radcliffe has no desire to go back to Hogwarts. In a March 2022 interview with The New York Times, Radcliffe was asked whether or not he would be interested in appearing in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” after rumors surfaced that the stage play might be made into a feature film.

Radcliffe dismissed the idea by saying it’s “not something I’m really interested in doing right now.”

“I’m getting to a point where I feel like I made it out of Potter OK and I’m really happy with where I am now, and to go back would be such a massive change to my life,” he continued before teasing, “I’m never going to say never.”