The wizarding world is getting fresh life breathed into it. Following the recent merger between Warner Bros’ WarnerMedia division and Discovery, new CEO David Zaslav is buckling down on one of the studios’ key IPs. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Zaslav is gearing up to create more Harry Potter related content for the streaming service HBO Max.
Zaslav is apparently all about the world of magic and Hogwarts, seeing the potential in the popular franchise to continue capturing the imaginations of every cinephile and TV lover. The Wall Street Journal revealed that his efforts to continue the ‘legacy of the boy who lived’ is leading him to make plans to meet the creator of the story, J.K. Rowling. The two are reportedly set to come together in the coming weeks to discuss a slew of potential content.
It is both unsurprising and surprising that Warner Bros is looking to capitalise more on Harry Potter. Although the franchise holds some of the most beloved and well-known fantasy movies, it has been floundering as of late, according to the box-office of the latest Fantastic Beasts movie.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has only grossed $379 million worldwide, against a budget of $200 million at the box office. Although this puts it in the top ten highest-earning flicks in 2022 so far, it also marks it as the lowest Harry Potter movie on record.
Its financial winnings also put it behind two films that were released prior to it that both had a significantly smaller budget – Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
We are curious to see if fresh Harry Potter projects could revitalise the IP back to its overwhelming box office glory. In terms of what could be next for the franchise, Chris Columbus, the director of The Philosopher’s Stone, has stated how he would love to helm an adaptation of The Cursed Child stage play.
However, no firm details of ideas or new Harry Potter spin-offs have been confirmed just yet. Stay tuned for updates.