Things have been a bit rocky for the Harry Potter franchise as of late, but it looks like that isn't stopping Warner Bros. from pushing forward on new projects. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was a critical and commercial failure. As such, it was announced that WB had no plans to pursue the production of any further Harry Potter film projects. Previously, it had been announced by J.K. Rowling herself that the Fantastic Beasts series would span five films. However, after plenty of behind-the-scenes drama and an incredibly disappointing box office and audience response, it looked as though WB wanted to cut its losses and move on.
It's difficult to pinpoint a definitive reason for the failure of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. The second film in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise was already poorly received. Still, the box office was still good enough for WB to have moved forward with the sequel. The production, however, was plagued with negative headlines from the very beginning. First, Johnny Depp was booted from his role as the villain of the series due to abuse allegations. Then, J.K. Rowling was almost universally condemned for comments made that were deemed "transphobic". Additionally, Ezra Miller had made headlines for their insane antics. So much was working against the film to begin with. So, when it was released to fairly negative reviews, it was the final nail in the coffin. Surprisingly, that was not enough to deter WB completely.
A Second Chance For Harry Potter
Although it seemed that the world of Harry Potter might finally be coming to a close, WB isn't ready to give up so easily. Instead, they are exploring other avenues. The film studio is apparently in talks to make a deal with HBO Max for a Harry Potter TV series. Rather than developing further spin-offs, however, it would be based directly on the original series. It appears that WB might have faith in Harry Potter but not in J.K. Rowling's ability to write further in-universe material.
This is not the first time that a Harry Potter TV series has been teased. For years, a potential series has been talked about. However, as much of the film industry moved towards universe expansion, WB decided to focus on developing other Harry Potter properties. That avenue has proven to be a dead end for the studio, so it appears they are returning to their original plan. While the deal is said to still be in preliminary stages, it's likely to come to fruition given the success of other Harry Potter properties like Hogwarts Legacy. If there's money to be made, WB isn't going to leave it on the table. What do you think of the idea of a Harry Potter TV series? Are you excited or is it time to put the franchise to rest? Let us know in the comments.
[Via]
