JK Rowling's Harry Potter books to be transformed into decade-long TV series
Rowling is one of the most successful authors of all time with her seven Harry Potter books
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Harry Potter is set to be brought to life in a new decade-long television series, it has been revealed.
The series will be based on author JK Rowling's books and will be produced over the course of a decade, with each series based on one of the seven books.
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, a streaming service from Warner Bros, the production company behind the original films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
JK Rowling has been named as an executive producer on the series
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"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 hailed Max's commitment to preserving the integrity of her books, saying: "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 instalments of the movie franchise is in talks to work on the television series.
Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, Casey Bloys, said: "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.
"In partnership with Warner Bros Television and JK 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."
Rowling is one of the most successful authors of all time with her seven Harry Potter books, published between 1997 and 2007, selling more than 500 million copies worldwide.
The original Harry Potter cast will not star in the new series
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More recently, she has been criticised for her views on gender identity, which came to light in a number of tweets she published in 2020.
In a new podcast entitled The Witch Trials of JK Rowling in February, she said she "never set out to upset anyone" but was "not comfortable with getting off my pedestal".
Rowling said she "absolutely knew" her comments and views on transgender issues would make some Harry Potter fans "deeply unhappy" but added that "a tonne of Potter fans that were grateful that she said what she said".
While Rowling’s involvement has been the central concern for many, some Potter fans wondered if the TV series would hold up, or “ruin the franchise further”.
Another wrote: “[the] funniest part about a Harry Potter TV series is the average fan is in their 30s or pushing 40 now. And I bet it’ll get canned after a season or two.”