WarnerMedia chief hints at expanding the Harry Potter universe

A few weeks ago, there were rumors going around that HBO Max was talking about making a Harry Potter TV series, adapting J.K. Rowling’s books from start to finish in a new format. But the top brass shot that down. “There are no deals in place,” said HBO content chief Casey Bloys. “There are no writers. There’s nothing. So I can’t add anything to what everybody’s already speculating about.”

That said, obviously the Harry Potter series is hugely popular, and Warner Bros. would be silly not to be thinking of ways to leverage it. Speaking at an investors conference the other day, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar made clear that it was on his mind. “There’s this little thing called Harry Potter, which is one of the most beloved franchises,” he said. “And we’re incredibly thankful to be able to partner with J.K. Rowling and so I would argue there’s a lot of fun and potential there as well.”

J.K. Rowling’s ongoing scandals aside, it’s not surprising to hear that WarnerMedia wants to do more with the Harry Potter series, and I wouldn’t be at all shocked to hear that they were actually talking about a straight TV adaptation but didn’t have enough details to share anything substantial yet.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there’s also talk about an adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the enormously successful stage play that takes place after the end of the books, catching with Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest as full-grown adults. That’s an obvious way to go too. And then there are the Fantastic Beasts movies…although considering the direction those have been going in, maybe they’re not the best long-term investment.

Honestly, if they’re going to do more with Harry Potter, I think a TV adaptation of the original books is the clearest way forward. But mileage varies.

WarnerMedia CEO talks about what’s next for HBO Max

Kilar weighed in some other, more general topics, too, including:

• Apparently HBO and HBO Max has a combined 41.5 million subscribers to date, which Kilar is pleased as punch about. “It’s early days, but given my experience in the industry, we are so far ahead of pretty much any metric, whether it’s engagement, usage-per-day, our absolute number of subscribers.” Yeah, but Disney+ is still crushing you.
• Is Kilar afraid that HBO’s reputation for quality will slip as a glut of programming comes to HBO Max? “What we need to do is continue to hold that quality bar incredibly high and expand our sensibilities,” Kilar said, pointing to The Flight Attendant as an example of how to have it both ways.
• Kilar suggested that there could be a cheaper version of HBO Max coming in the future, with advertising making up the difference. “It turns out that most people on this planet are not wealthy. If we can wake up and use price and be able to kind of invent and do things elegantly through advertising to reduce the price of the service, I think that’s a fantastic thing for fans.”
• Warner Bros. made waves with it announced that it would release all of its 2021 movies into theaters and on HBO Max at the same time. Things will get to normal eventually, but even after the pandemic is over, Kilar doesn’t think things will be the same. “I do tend to agree with [Disney CEO] Bob Chapek when he says it’s hard to imagine going back to 2015 in terms of the windows that existed for theatrical and everything that happened afterwards,” Kilar said. “I think people appreciate and understand that, and at the end of the day, it’s about putting the seeds in place for a very healthy and robust business that can last for another 100 years…It’s so dynamic. People are absolutely experimenting.”

All I’m saying is, you make a Harry Potter show, you get 10 million new subscribers that day. You all know it’s true.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels