Harry Potter Max series Finally Names Its Director and Showrunner

Television

Announced today via The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming Harry Potter Max series has finally named its showrunner and director. 

The series has selected Francesca Gardiner as showrunner and writer and Mark Mylod to direct multiple episodes. Both have received Emmys for HBO’s Succession — Gardiner as part of the show’s producing team and Mylod as both director and producer. 

Gardiner’s credits as a writer and producer also include His Dark Materials, Killing Eve, and The Rook. Mylod has directed episodes of Game of Thrones and the upcoming second season of The Last of Us, as well as Shameless, The Affair, and the feature film The Menu.

Originally slated for Max, the Potter series, which has been in development since 2021, will be airing on both the HBO cable channel and the streaming service as part of the brand shift with Warner Bros. and Discovery, now Warner Bros. Discovery. This new series is set to be a “faithful adaptation” of J.K. Rowling’s mega-selling fantasy series about the young British wizard. As per a statement made by HBO, 

“The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years.”

Casting will be announced at a later date, with much buzz and speculation among fans as to who the new cast will be. An exact date has not yet been revealed either, although Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav stated earlier this year that 2026 is the target debut for the series. 

J.K. Rowling herself is slated to be an executive producer; however she will not have day-to-day involvement. She also reposted the news via her Twitter/X, with her comments. 

I’m truly thrilled to announce our director and writer, both of whom I interviewed as part of the production team. Both have a genuine passion for #HarryPotter, and having read Francesca’s pilot script and heard Mark’s vision, I’m certain the TV show will more than live up to… https://t.co/Cp146BXMny

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2024

And, of course, with Rowling also comes the controversy among activists online. When asked about Rowling’s “anti-transgender” comments, HBO and Max content chief Casey Bloys said shortly after the series was announced,

“The TV show is new and exciting, but we’ve been in the Harry Potter business for 20 years; this isn’t a new decision. We’re comfortable being in the Potter business. J.K. is a very online conversation… It’s very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into. Our priority is what’s onscreen.”

Gardiner and Mylod will also executive produce with Rowling and her Brontë Film and TV partners Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts, as well as David Heyman, who produced the Harry Potter films. Warner Bros. Television and Brontë Film and TV (which also produces JKR’s successful crime series adaptation, CB Strike) will produce the show.

So, the floor is open to all of you. What are your thoughts on this news? Excited as ever, still cautiously optimistic (such as myself), or simply wishing for a truly faithful adaptation of the Harry Potter series? Please comment below!