3.0 Avg User Rating
It's an early pickup for the fantasy series.
May 7, 2026
HBO has announced an early second season pickup for its upcoming Harry Potter television series. The news is not really surprising, as the network has previously stated its desire for a decade-long run of the show to cover all the novels.
The show is scheduled to debut on December 25, with the first season titled 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.' By then production on Season 2 will have already started, with writer Jon Brown being elevated to co-showrunner alongside Francesca Gardiner.
"As we have laid out our plans for the overlapping production schedules to finish season one by Christmas and to return to production for season two this Autumn, it has become clear that bringing on a co-showrunner is the key to maintaining our momentum," said Gardiner in a statement. "I've loved working with Jon from the very first day we met on 'Succession' through to these recent times together on 'Harry Potter.' Not only do I have huge admiration for his writing, but he's also a brilliant collaborator and a lovely person. We are lucky to have him."
"I'm incredibly excited to be collaborating with Francesca as co-showrunner," Brown said in a statement. "It has been a joy to write on 'Philosopher's Stone' and I'd like to thank Francesca and HBO for putting their faith in me to continue this remarkable journey. Seems you're never too old to get your invitation to Hogwarts."
The series aims to be a faithful adaptation of the beloved book series by author and executive producer, J.K. Rowling. The stories from each of the books will be produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. A new cast will be featured to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world.
Comments (13)
05/12/26 at 11:43am
Y'all realize this is a fable written for "you adults" i.e. teenagers, right? It's so blatantly pandering my opinion of any adult "too" into Potter is not very favorable. If you like Potter... it says more about you then the Potter stories.
05/12/26 at 06:18am
Winston, I think you provide some good points and a certainly thorough and well thought out argument. I would just say, I think we as a society have gotten too sensitive. People on both sides of the aisle are complaining about this show, whether it be because Snape is black or because the author is anti-trans. Getting offended is a choice and we have the free will to choose to just enjoy the content. It's an HBO show, so you know it will be high quality, well produced, and well acted. It will be entertaining. So let's just not get all worked up about these things and enjoy the show, or don't watch it. I think the world will be a better place if we all stop being such snowflakes about everything. Just my two cents, take it or leave it!
05/11/26 at 09:20am
M,
A few basic fundamental changes: White James Potter and his white prep-school friends are now bullying a black student. Including hanging him upside down from a tree.
Part of the bullying is calling him a mudblood, because he is half-magical and half-non-magical. Using a derogatory term towards a black kid, by a bunch of rich white kids? That will go over well.
Harry spends the entire first year suspicious of the one black teacher and has zero proof, just a feeling.
Neville's worst fear (the boggart scene) is now an angry black man.
There is plenty more, but let's move on to your next point; Sticking to the material for older works is why we have Period films. They are written of/for the time. It is OK to show people what things were like and let them make up their own minds on how things were, and how different groups of people were treated.
A good author creates characters, then puts them in situations, then has them react the way that they would if they were a real person. It is then on the reading/watching audience to determine for themselves if, based on the reactions, a character is good, bad, or somewhere in between.
As for your last point; Yes, stick to the source material. Even if that means the cast will all be straight white men. If you are making a movie about a medieval battle in England, then all of your characters are going to be white and the vast majority are going to be men. Same for Viking stories, and so many other stories based on history.
Taking a long-established, beloved character and race/gender swapping them, or replacing them with a different person who becomes that character, is insulting to fans, and to the race the character is swapped to. Allow the characters to be who they are, and let creators come up with new characters that are the race/gender they are looking to have.
Peter Parker is Spiderman. Miles Morales is Miles Morales. Steve Rogers is Captain America. Sam Wilson is the Falcon.
A few basic fundamental changes: White James Potter and his white prep-school friends are now bullying a black student. Including hanging him upside down from a tree.
Part of the bullying is calling him a mudblood, because he is half-magical and half-non-magical. Using a derogatory term towards a black kid, by a bunch of rich white kids? That will go over well.
Harry spends the entire first year suspicious of the one black teacher and has zero proof, just a feeling.
Neville's worst fear (the boggart scene) is now an angry black man.
There is plenty more, but let's move on to your next point; Sticking to the material for older works is why we have Period films. They are written of/for the time. It is OK to show people what things were like and let them make up their own minds on how things were, and how different groups of people were treated.
A good author creates characters, then puts them in situations, then has them react the way that they would if they were a real person. It is then on the reading/watching audience to determine for themselves if, based on the reactions, a character is good, bad, or somewhere in between.
As for your last point; Yes, stick to the source material. Even if that means the cast will all be straight white men. If you are making a movie about a medieval battle in England, then all of your characters are going to be white and the vast majority are going to be men. Same for Viking stories, and so many other stories based on history.
Taking a long-established, beloved character and race/gender swapping them, or replacing them with a different person who becomes that character, is insulting to fans, and to the race the character is swapped to. Allow the characters to be who they are, and let creators come up with new characters that are the race/gender they are looking to have.
Peter Parker is Spiderman. Miles Morales is Miles Morales. Steve Rogers is Captain America. Sam Wilson is the Falcon.
05/10/26 at 08:29pm
And by woke I mean it will tell stories from others point of view. I don’t like that. My dad would come home from his meetings and take off his hood and teach me not to let others have points of view. I heard that let women get an education past 3rd grade. Scandalous.if I don’t need an education past it they don’t either.
05/10/26 at 12:46pm
Winston, please explain how Snape being black now is going to 'fundamentally change how many character interactions will be viewed'? There's plenty of ways to convey a character outside of their physicality and Snapes race matters not.
Also using LOTR as an example is wild. Sticking to source material will often mean sticking to attitudes and issues of the time. Such as the books themselves reflect outdated victoriana attitudes and are very much a product of time.
So if the source material reflects racist, homophobic, transphobic views, that should be ignored because 'fans just want things accurate to what they fell in love with'.
What happens when the source material predominantly features white cis heterosexual people? They just stay close to source material because that would be respectful of the source material?
Also using LOTR as an example is wild. Sticking to source material will often mean sticking to attitudes and issues of the time. Such as the books themselves reflect outdated victoriana attitudes and are very much a product of time.
So if the source material reflects racist, homophobic, transphobic views, that should be ignored because 'fans just want things accurate to what they fell in love with'.
What happens when the source material predominantly features white cis heterosexual people? They just stay close to source material because that would be respectful of the source material?
05/08/26 at 12:45pm
Z,
In the books, the source material, Snape is described in multiple spots as Sallow, Pale, and Sickly. His hair is described as Greasy, and Lank.
Changing Snape from a caucasian to black fundamentally changes how many character interactions will be viewed. Swapping the race or gender of a character has consequences. Sometimes it doesn't matter, like Sam Jackson being Nick Fury, but sometimes it really messes up the rest of the story, like with Snape.
Fans of any IP that is being adapted, HP, LotR, WoT, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, etc just want things to be accurate to what they fell in love with.
Best example is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson said "We made a promise to ourselves at the beginning of the process that we weren't going to put any of our own politics, our own messages or our own themes into these movies." He was taking the source material and doing his best to adapt it for what it was and what Tolkien meant it to be.
Contrast that with how so many adaptations these days have their writers/directors/show-runners all saying something along the lines of wanting to use it as a platform, or to send a message, or to put their spin on the story. No fan wants that.
We all want the thing we love to be adapted with respect to the original author and as close to the story we fell in love with as possible.
In the books, the source material, Snape is described in multiple spots as Sallow, Pale, and Sickly. His hair is described as Greasy, and Lank.
Changing Snape from a caucasian to black fundamentally changes how many character interactions will be viewed. Swapping the race or gender of a character has consequences. Sometimes it doesn't matter, like Sam Jackson being Nick Fury, but sometimes it really messes up the rest of the story, like with Snape.
Fans of any IP that is being adapted, HP, LotR, WoT, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, etc just want things to be accurate to what they fell in love with.
Best example is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson said "We made a promise to ourselves at the beginning of the process that we weren't going to put any of our own politics, our own messages or our own themes into these movies." He was taking the source material and doing his best to adapt it for what it was and what Tolkien meant it to be.
Contrast that with how so many adaptations these days have their writers/directors/show-runners all saying something along the lines of wanting to use it as a platform, or to send a message, or to put their spin on the story. No fan wants that.
We all want the thing we love to be adapted with respect to the original author and as close to the story we fell in love with as possible.
05/08/26 at 05:28am
They never say what color Snape's skin is in the books. The reason most people think he's white is because of the movies. I don't think anyone will ever be as good as Alan Rickman (RIP) but I think if people are saying they won't watch the shows because of the color of Snape's skin... that is pretty pathetic. And Kristen, the fact you are trans and are more offended by this instead of the author who is actively anti-trans... that's a choice!
05/08/26 at 00:10am
Woke rubbish, with all its box ticking, this series will be utter leftie rubbish.
05/07/26 at 05:27pm
Love Harry Potter, not going to watch this racist blackwashed Snape. Refuse to watch woke garbage for the most part. And I'm fking Trans. They can renew now lol, doesn't mean it will happen. Depends on if they get the views and money. Which personally I hope they don't. I hope people keep ignoring this racist garbage. R.I.P. Alan Rickman - The only Severus Snape and amazing actor.
05/07/26 at 03:37pm
Can not stand anything about H.P. I could not care less.
(Page 1 of 2) Next >
