Harry Potter will be brought to life on the small screen in a new decade-long television series, it has been revealed.
The series will be a “faithful adaptation” of the hugely popular books about the wizarding world by author JK Rowling, who will serve as an executive producer.
It will feature a different cast to the films, with each season promising to be “authentic to the original books” and bring Harry Potter to new audiences.
The series will be available on Max – currently branded as HBO Max – a streaming service from Warner Bros, the production company behind the original films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
“The new 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 25 years,” a statement from Max said.
The original films will remain “at the core” of the franchise, the streaming service said.
Rowling, 57, hailed Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of her books, adding: “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.”
British film producer David Heyman – who produced all eight installments of the movie franchise – is in talks to work on the television series.
The seven Harry Potter books have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide. They were adapted into blockbuster movies starring Daniel Radcliffe that grossed $7.7 billion globally from 2001 to 2011.
The upcoming series will feature a new cast, and each season will be devoted to one of Rowling’s books. The plan is for the series to unfold over 10 years.
“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,” Rowling said in a statement.
Rowling has stirred controversy in recent years for comments that were criticized as trans-phobic. Harry Potter fan blogs and actors including Radcliffe objected to her remarks.
Other new shows coming to Max include a new “Game of Thrones” prequel, titled “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,” with author George R.R. Martin serving as executive producer.
Read more via Sky News
