The world of Harry Potter is catching a second wind. Recently, the Wizarding World has hung in the balance. The Fantastic Beasts movies, which began in 2016, have fizzled out. Many fans believed they never captured the magic of the original series. Unfortunately, the movies only lessened in quality as time went on. The third film in the franchise, The Secrets of Dumbledore, was released last year with barely an ounce of the attention and adoration of the others. The reasons for this are debatable, but Warner Brothers made it clear that the third Fantastic Beasts film would be the last. For a time, it seemed like this might be the end of Harry Potter as we knew it.
Since the release of the final film in the original series, there have been murmurs of a television series. WB reportedly explored the idea over a decade ago. However, with the advent of the MCU, every studio began to focus on universe expansion. As such, WB decided to move forward with a prequel Potter series. Sadly, a myriad of issues from bad box office to fans' disappointment in J.K. Rowling caused WB to cut the prequels short. What was originally intended to be a five-film series was pared down to three. Still, it seems there is hope for Potter fans that want more.
HBO Officially Announces Harry Potter TV Series
Last week, it was reported that WB was once again approaching the idea of a Harry Potter streaming series. The studio had allegedly been in talks with HBO Max about it. The report also stated that the series would focus on the original seven books instead of expanding upon them. It appears that last week's report was correct because HBO has now released an announcement trailer.
The trailer doesn't show much, unfortunately, but the prospect of the series itself was enough for fans. Many expressed excitement upon hearing the news. Some, however, approached with trepidation. "[I] always dreamed of a Harry Potter series that would adapt each book," one fan said. "But now that it's happened it scares me." Another chimed in to agree, "Can't help but think about all the things we won't be getting: a cinematic release, Daniel, Rupert and Emma, John Williams' iconic score, etc." What do you think of the news? Let us know in the comments below!