HBO's Harry Potter Series Has Taken A Major Step Forward, And Our Return To Hogwarts Has Never Felt Closer

HBO's Harry Potter series is closer than ever to a premiere, and I feel like I can almost taste the danger of attending Hogwarts for the school year. While it could still be a while before we're watching episodes with our Max subscription, the show has locked down a showrunner and executive producer for the next magical romp in the franchise.

It's now official that Francesca Gardiner will be the showrunner of the Harry Potter series. While that name may not immediately ring a bell, the shows she has been attached to definitely will. I could stop with the mention of the Emmy-loaded acclaimed series Succession, but doing so would leave out she was also a part of Killing Eve and the latest adaptation of His Dark Materials. Gardiner will also serve as an executive producer for the show.

Joining Gardiner as an executive producer is Mark Mylod, who also worked as an EP on Succession. He also directed sixteen episodes of the series and was also the director of The Menu and six episodes of Game Of Thrones. He will also lend his directing talents to the Harry Potter series, and while a specific number is not given, it's said he'll helm "multiple" episodes.

All The Harry Potter Movies In Order, From Sorcerer's Stone To Fantastic Beasts

In case anyone feels the need to stream it all. 

As this magical return to Hogwarts continues to take shape, readers may wonder what the odds are of past Harry Potter stars returning for the show. Recently, we heard Neville Longbottom actor Matthew Lewis share his thoughts on it, and Daniel Radcliffe has spent more time embracing weird roles than giving a return as the title character much thought.

All this to say, we still don't have a firm grasp of how many stars from the past will be involved in the show, though we remain hopeful that one or two may decide to. I would love to see Radcliffe play Professor Snape, and I think he'd do justice to the role in a way few could after the late Alan Rickman's iconic performance. More realistically, perhaps he'd be ok with a brief appearance as Harry's father, James, given the low commitment to playing the part.

The upcoming Harry Potter show intends to retell the stories originally written by J.K. Rowling and later adapted into a successful movie franchise. With that in mind, the series will differentiate itself by remaining more faithful to the source material and will likely have more time to tell some of the stories that the movies didn't have time to. I know I'll be excited to see storylines like Hermione's quest to get House Elves the same rights as wizards in live-action for the first time, assuming that will make the cut in this new adaptation. Ugh, is there a spell to make this series premiere faster?

These are exciting developments for the Harry Potter show, and I'm hoping the progress means it won't be much longer before we start to see castings and a filming date. CinemaBlend will keep those eyes peeled for more announcements as they come, but readers would do well to browse our 2024 TV guide to stay occupied in the meantime.