HARRY POTTER Director David Yates Says He Will Not Get Involved With the New TV Series
Warner Bros. is rebooting the Harry Potter franchise as a TV series being developed for Max. This will be a completely new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series. The author of the books is an executive producer on the project, and it’s explained that the series will be a faithful take on her story.
Original Harry Potter film producer David Heyman is producing the series, but franchise director David Yates has made it clear that he will not return to work on it. Yates directed four films in the franchise, and when asked in an interview with CB about getting involved with the series, he said:
"Do you know what? Honestly, I could not, in any conceivable way, get involved. It's simply: I spent a long time at that school, in those corridors and in those classrooms, and it was an exquisite experience and one I will always treasure. But to go back and do another year or two, for me, I feel I've left it. Being in the back of a van with [producer] Lawrence [Grey] in Atlanta of Savannah, hoofing it to try and make a drama, to me, at the moment, is more compelling than going through the hallowed gates of Hogwarts."
He went on to say that he hopes the show does well, though:
"I wish that show so well, it's gonna be amazing to see them re-explore all it can be for the next generation. I think it'll be a challenge for everyone involved, but it's a very exciting enterprise and I wish it well. It was an amazing experience for me, and I know the other filmmakers who were involved, and it will be for the next generation of filmmakers."
It will be interesting to see how this turns out. I just hope that they bring together a super-talented creative team to bring it to life in an epic way. I also hope they don’t skimp on the budget.
There will be an all-new cast playing the beloved characters and the show is being billed as a “decade-long one.” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav previously said: “My wife and I, we read (the Harry Potter books) to each of our three kids….It’s really moving, for ten consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on HBO; I mean it’s really something.”
That’s going to be quite an epic undertaking, and we’ll just have to wait and see if they can actually pull it off.
Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content said in a statement: “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 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. added: “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.”
There’s no word on when we might actually see this series get made and released.