The UK is set to get a £1.5million boost as Warner Bros film a new Harry Potter series at its studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire. Production plans show the series will be based on J. K. Rowling’s seven beloved books, according to reports. It’s thought the series will be filmed in the UK, with British creative and technical talent taking the lead.
The budget for the show is said to be around £159 million per series – giving it a similar production to House Of The Dragon which pulled in record viewers in 2022.
With plans to produce around ten series spanning over ten consecutive years, this sets the full scale production at around £1.59 billion.
Warner Bros confirmed plans to film the series in April 2023 and are hoping to start filming later this year or early 2025.
There are a number of writers contending for the job at the moment, with the Daily Mail claiming they have been asked to present their visions of the reimagined story of the boy wizard to executive producers, one of whom is J.K Rowling.
Francesca Gardiner – Killing Eve writer – is one of those fighting for the job. She also wrote British Succession and the BBC adaptation of His Dark Materials.
Casey Bloys, an executive of the production, promised the series would be a “faithful adaptation” that will “dive deep into each of the inconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years”.
Warner Bros CEO David Zasla said: “We haven’t done anything with Harry Potter for more than a decade,’ adding that the Potter, Lord Of The Rings and DC Comics franchises could spark some magic at the box office. Zaslav said: ‘When you put those franchises in, it’s the best-performing studio in the world. We need to deploy our best capital with the best creative people in the world.”
The famous books have sold 600 million copies globally, with icons Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint leading the £8billion films.
Casting is yet to take place, with the appointment of a lead writer Warner Bro’s number one priority at the moment.
The production company will be looking for children aged between 11 and 12 to take the roles, which could prove tricky for execs. Producers of the original Harry Potter films spoke about the long process in casting Daniel Radcliffe in their most recent documentary.
In September, it was announced that the Leavesden studios will be expanding by an extra 400,000 sq ft – making plenty of room for the new filming set to take place.
