J.K. ROWLING HAS READ THE PILOT EPISODE OF NEW “HARRY POTTER ”SERIES: 'TRULY THRILLED'
"I'm certain the TV show will more than live up to expectations," the author said in a tweet
A new era of Harry Potter is quickly approaching.
On June 26, HBO announced that it found the showrunner and executive producers for the new series, which will bring fans back to the beloved Wizarding World.
Two Succession alums have been tapped to helm the project — Francesca Gardiner, who will write and executive produce, and Mark Mylod, who will executive produce and direct several episodes — and they both got the official stamp of approval from J.K. Rowling.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rowling — the author of the best-selling novels the series will be based on — revealed that she'd "interviewed" both Gardiner and Mylod and was "thrilled to announce [them] as our director and writer."
"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 expectations," Rowling, 58, said.
The series was first announced in April 2023, and has since been confirmed to be a multi-season series based on Rowling's original seven books. Though the author has come under fire after making comments widely condemned as anti-transgender in 2020, she is serving as an executive producer on the project.
Per an official press release from Warner Bros. Discovery, the series will be "a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series" and 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 twenty-five years."
"Each season will bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise."
The show is currently in development.
Several members of the original cast have weighed in since the news broke of the new series, including Daniel Radcliffe.
The Merrily We Roll Along actor told E! News in May that "like the rest of the world, [he's] very excited to watch as an audience member."
However, Radcliffe thinks that the team behind the series "very wisely want a clean break" from the original cast, adding, "I don't know if it would work to have us do anything in it."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Matthew Lewis and Jason Isaacs have also weighed in – and shared what character they'd want to play in the series. Isaacs joked he'd play Dobby the house elf to avoid going to the makeup trailer – and so he could "steal the whole scene" – while Lewis was at a bit of a loss at the question.
"Gosh, I have no idea. It's very difficult as well because everyone just did such a wonderful job," he said. "I genuinely don't think there's anyone that I would want to even attempt to play."
Lewis, 34, admitted that he would not want to reprise his role as Neville Longbottom, though, as he's now "too old," but Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin (played by David Thewlis) would be a fun new challenge. "If I was to have a go, that would be one that I'd do."
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
2024-06-26T19:13:06Z dg43tfdfdgfd