Wands at the ready! A Harry Potter TV series is officially happening

Get ready to dust off your broomsticks and grab your wands, because a Harry Potter TV series is in the works.

The series will be exclusive to Max, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max.

During a presentation on Wednesday, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, confirmed the news, adding that the series will be a "decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for". 

It'll be based on the seven books in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, which were published between 1997 and 2007, and will feature a new cast.

Each season of the show will be authentic to the original books and bring the adventures of Harry Potter to new audiences around the world. However, the original, classic, and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and will be available to watch globally.

Rowling will executive-produce the series, along with Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts.

David Heyman, who executive-produced all eight of the Harry Potter feature films, is also in talks to executive-produce.

The news, however, provoked mixed reactions among fans of the Potter universe. While the extended world of Harry Potter is worth an estimated $25 billion (£20 billion), Rowling's personal views have courted controversy and turned many fans away from the beloved coming-of-age series.

Rowling was notably absent from the 20th anniversary reunion special for the first feature film, which featured cast members reminiscing on their time together and the magic of the books and movies. Despite this, Warner Bros, the parent company of HBO, has maintained close ties with Rowling and has signed previous deals for the Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts, the stage show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and theme parks in Florida and California.

Regardless of the mixed reactions, true-blue fans are sure to be excited about the prospect of a new series. With Rowling, Blair, and Kenley-Letts at the helm, they can be assured that it will be just as magical as the original.

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