It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. CBR supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love, and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find CBR's continuing coverage on Rowling here.
The first year of Warner Bros. Discovery has been full of ups and downs. Most of their controversial decisions seem to come from a desire not to repeat the mistakes of previous regimes. However, the new Harry Potter reboot show for HBO echoes a mistake WarnerMedia almost made with The Lord of the Rings.
The impetus behind this decision is the same behind WBD's announcement of new The Lord of the Rings movies. Some time ago, Warner Bros. reportedly pitched a remake of Peter Jackson's movies when vying for the TV rights with the Tolkien Estate. The new Middle-Earth films aren't remakes but stories not before seen in any adaptations. Warner Bros. Discovery has a lot of franchises, but for this new company, they are "dead" franchises. The Fantastic Beasts movies were misfires. A Harry Potter reboot series is money-in-the-bank, and it allows the creator to "fix" the things she didn't like about the movies. Though, the movie series is the last unproblematic piece of the Potterverse.
A Harry Potter Series Would Give Rowling a Chance to See 'Her' Story Come to Life
Adapting the Harry Potter books into movies meant characters, scenes and entire subplots would be left out. Yet, 70 or 80 hours of television means that not only could every page be adapted somehow, but Rowling could add even more. The author says she likes the films. Yet, she may want WB to take another crack at bringing cut stories, like the House Elves' problematic subplot, to the screen. She wouldn't even be the first author to want to see remakes of beloved movies because they felt too much was changed from their work. Stephen King did that with no less a feat of cinematic excellence than Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
Stephen King is one of the few artists with the clout and guts to criticize the late, great director. In truth, King has always praised both Kubrick and the film. He merely felt vital parts of his story were entirely left out of the film. Limited series based on King's works printed money for ABC in the 1990s and early 2000s, so they indulged him with a new take on the Torrances. Rebecca De Mornay and Steven Weber played Wendy and Jack Torrance, respectively. Most importantly to King, Kubrick undid the death of Dick Hallorann, the other character with "shining" powers. Played by the great Scatman Crothers in the movie, Kubrick had Jack kill the character.
It's worth noting the limited series was a hit in the ratings and with the critics. However, unlike the Kubrick film, it doesn't hold up with time. The only person who watches ABC's The Shining over Kubrick's in the age of streaming is likely King himself. Warner Bros. Discovery doesn't care either way, probably. The Wizarding World flopped on the big screen, like everything else they've inherited. Everything, that is, except HBO.
Warner Bros. Discovery Wants Potter on HBO Because It's the Only Thing Working
The last two big Warner Bros. Discovery movies starring DC Comics heroes Black Adam and Shazam!: Fury of the Gods were box office disappointments. The $1 billion box office is elusive for any film that doesn't require a decade or longer wait for its characters. However, HBO is firing on all cylinders. House of the Dragon and The Last of Us are massive pop-culture sensations, and other zeitgeist shows like White Lotus and Barry do well, too. On paper, a Harry Potter series seems like a surefire hit. And it would be, except fans are too attached to the original trio.
One of the reasons WarnerMedia, WBD's predecessor, went so hard at streaming was because of the franchise problem. However, if the future of entertainment is streaming media hubs, having LOTR and Potter in their hand was a good deal of the cards. With the post-pandemic box office far below the late 2010s record-shattering years, WBD may see that TV is still their best option. Even with DC, The CW's Arrowverse is a more consistent and prolific shared continuity than the disjointed movie output. If the films were reviled, like the film adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and live-action series, like the forthcoming one from Netflix, it'd be welcomed by the fanbase. But the only person other than WBD executives who could want this is Rowling's authorial ego.