Harry Potter: Even Before Filming, the Series Already at the Heart of a Trial

Announced for late 2026 or early 2027, HBO's reboot of Harry Potter is one of Hollywood's most talked-about projects. We learned today that even before the start of filming, the series is at the heart of a legal trial.

Harry Potter Series: Warner Already in Court

One of the most popular fantasy works in the world, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter cycle has sold several hundred million copies worldwide. Quickly adapted for the cinema by the Warner studio, the saga was the subject of a real cult throughout the 2000s. After the Beatlemania of the 1960s, the Curemania of the 1980s, the Batmania of the 1990s, the 2000s saw the birth of Pottermania. During the 2010s, Warner Bros. wanted to ride on the success of the film saga with the new cycle Fantastic Beasts, whose scripts were written by J.K. Rowling herself.

Unfortunately, this new cycle suffered from major writing problems. While it was initially supposed to conclude with its fifth installment, Warner Bros. Discovery put the project on hold after the resounding failure of the third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. At the same time, J.K. Rowling's aura has been tarnished by regular positions considered transphobic. However, Warner Bros. Discovery does not intend to abandon the wizarding world. Announced many months ago, the reboot series Harry Potter produced by HBO is due to go into production soon.

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But in addition to having to resolve a few minor practical problems (for example, choosing a cast that is not immediately swept away by nostalgia for the films), we learned today that the Hollywood major is being sued by Comcast, the leading American internet operator. Indeed, the company accuses Warner of not having respected the terms of a contract signed in 2019 with the British operator Sky Television (owned by Comcast), requiring the studio to co-produce four series per year, including the new series Harry Potter.

According to the complaint, Warner had an obligation to offer co-financing for the Harry Potter series but would have preferred use it as a loss leader for its Max platform. In response, a Warner spokesperson said in a statement that with licensing agreements expiring at the end of 2025, the lawsuit was just a “baseless strategy” to serve as leverage for future negotiations. Furthermore, the Hollywood group categorically refuses to allow Harry Potter to become a Warner/Comcast co-production.