Yesterday, we were absolutely pummeled with notes about The Hollywood Reporter’s “Exclusive” news release regarding meetings with 
HBO Max for a planned Wizarding World live action project. While the report was extremely vague, only using facts and figures for verifiable points like the amount of money the previous Potter films have made, it set off a flurry of ripples.
With viewers craving streaming media to watch from their homes, many studios and production companies are pivoting to create more and more content for the small screen. The dizzying success of Disney+’s The Mandalorian and the service’s large array of current and upcoming limited-run Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings demonstrate that beloved franchises are sure bets with a large audience (It seems to be taking some viewers a while to warm up to WandaVision, but I am loving it. Standby for a post once it wraps).
Like all those owls trying to get mail to a kid with some really unpleasant relatives, announcements about the rumored Potter project are
showing up in so many places that there might be press releases inside eggs or milk bottles at this point. The Hollywood Reporter has been listed as the source of all these press releases, which range from giddy expectations to gloomy predictions, with not a few lists of demands. Ironically, while some articles are eagerly making predictions of casting and setting, while others are already bashing Rowling and claiming that any project should be done without her input (yes, really), Warner Brothers issued statements that no such project is actually in the works. The Studio states that the juicy gossip over at The Hollywood Reporter is untrue, the media outlet knew it was, and it was published anyway.
While I’d much rather be chatting about Troubled Blood and about the actual television show that will be forthcoming with that, it is interesting to note how, in 2021, the words “Harry Potter” are still click-bait gold on the internet. An unfounded story, one that seems to be only rumor, still manages to get more attention than the latest Tiktok dance craze. While it’s anyone’s guess if there really will be a forthcoming project at HBO Max, it’s obvious that The Boy Who Lived is still a sure bet for fascination and controversy (although different kinds, these days), and that even fake news is profitable news when the Wizarding World is involved.
I am glad you wrote about this as it makes for interesting news real or fake. I guess time will tell.
We are LOVING WandaVision in our house, and I look forward to seeing what you write about it.
The Rowling Library (@rowlinglibrary) Tweeted:
We got contacted by Warner Bros. to share with all the Harry Potter fans the official statement on the rumours about a Harry Potter series.
“There are no Harry Potter series in development at the studio or on the streaming platform.” https://t.co/DTIo2m7mrr
Indeed, fake news seems to be the most likely verdict, but what I find fascinating is the fact that even fake Potter news, even after it has been decried by WB and seems to be clearly untrue, is still a hot topic!
I am glad there are fellow WandaVision viewers out there, so I will be justified in my upcoming post! Dumbledore’s observation about things that are happening inside one’s head but are nonetheless “real” may be a tool in unraveling this tale, but I find many other elements to be delights of the senses, from the faithful tributes to two of my childhood favorite shows (Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie) to the 1970s commercial featuring the EXACT green and orange floral wallboard that I just painted over in the basement of my house, a mid-century modern time capsule I am wrestling out of 1974….