Warner Bros. Discovery wants to make new films in the Harry Potter universe.
In a recent conference call with investors, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said he wants to pursue the possibility of making more films. Harry Potter :
We will focus on our franchises. We haven’t made a Superman movie in 13 years. We haven’t done Harry Potter for 15 years. DC movies and Harry Potter films have provided a large chunk of Warner Bros. profits… over the past 25 years. If we can do anything with JK Rowling on Harry Potter in the future, we’ll try to do it.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav says he’s interested in making more #HarryPotter movies, if something can be worked out with author JK Rowling: https://t.co/mc2DqWJV8m pic.twitter.com/xCjhAIwBhE
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 3, 2022
Warner Bros. released eight Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011, which grossed $7.7 billion worldwide. In partnership with JK Rowling, the American production company created the Fantastic Beasts franchise, whose box office performance continues to decline. The latest installment, Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets, was released last April and grossed $405.1 million worldwide. It’s unclear whether Warner Bros. will explore the two films planned to complete its five-film arc.
JK Rowling’s descent into hell before redemption?
In the years since the release of the various Harry Potter films, JK Rowling has become a controversial figure and has been accused of transphobia. David Zaslav’s willingness to open up to JK Rowling comes after incidents were interpreted by fans as signs of tension between Warner Bros and the author, which both parties have denied. She didn’t appear on HBO’s recent reunion special (she later said she was invited but declined). More recently, his name was almost entirely omitted from the first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets. Note that JK Rowling worked on the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which debuted in 2016. Chris Columbus, the filmmaker behind the very first Harry Potter, has expressed interest in directing a film adaptation.
