‘Harry Potter’ Finds Showrunner and Director In ‘Succession’ Duo As High Profile Shows Pivot From Max To HBO
Warner Bros. Discovery is rethinking its entire TV strategy, as they are divesting some of the high-budget efforts they were planning for the Max streaming service into the linear HBO network. This includes the upcoming Harry Potter series, which has also found a showrunner and a director.
HBO announced on Tuesday that the series has hired Francesca Gardiner as showrunner and lead writer, showrunner, and executive producer on the series, as they prepare to ramp up development eyeing a 2026 release. Mark Mylod, one of the go-to directors on Succession (where Gardiner served as consulting producer during the last two seasons) and a fan-favorite at the network, will direct multiple episodes of the show and also exec produce. Mylod is currently working on The Last of Us season 2.
Deadline reported Tuesday that the series will now be developed under the HBO umbrella, meaning it will receive a linear network release. It’s good news for Harry Potter, as it will be subject to a lot more quality scrutiny during development. The HBO brand is one of the most prestigious in the business, and both CEO David Zaslav and HBO/Max chief Casey Bloys take great pride in maintaining that legacy. It’s not great news for Max, which seems to be turning into the online version of HBO for scripted content.
Lanterns is also moving from Max to HBO right as it received an eight-episode green light from Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. Similarly, the It prequel Welcome to Derry is making the move. However, this one is currently in post-production and will air next year. Deadline also noted that both The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy might switch, though a decision hasn’t been finalized yet. (Honestly, Dune: Prophecy doesn’t look good enough to be carried by the HBO brand, but should they press that button, it would be a huge boost of confidence.)
The HBO lineup for next year is looking pretty strong. New seasons of The White Lotus and The Last of Us will arrive in the first half of the year. Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new Game of Thrones spin-off that started production earlier this month, will also debut in 2025 on HBO and subsequently on Max. A third season of Euphoria remains in the works.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
