Harry Potter TV series filming in 2025, White Lotus back in February

LONDON – The first Harry Potter television series is scheduled to start filming in mid-2025 at Warner Bros’ Leavesden studios in Britain, Warner Bros Discovery said on Dec 5.

Unveiling its upcoming global programming slate, HBO and Max streaming service chief executive Casey Bloys also confirmed the much-anticipated Game Of Thrones (2011 to 2019) prequel, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, is set for release in 2025.

The third season of HBO’s hit TV series The White Lotus (2021 to present) will premiere in February, followed months later by the second instalment of The Last Of Us (2023 to present), Warner Bros Discovery said.

The Harry Potter TV series – announced in 2023 and currently in casting – is envisaged as a decade-long series, with the mega-selling books’ author J.K. Rowling among its executive producers.

Succession (2018 to 2023) director and executive producer Mark Mylod revealed at the London announcement event that the casting team is reviewing 32,000 submissions for kids’ roles.

“We will watch every one,” Mylod said, adding the team is reviewing between 500 and 1,000 tapes daily. It then hopes to “workshop with some of our shortlisted candidates” in January.

He noted the team following the “extraordinary actors” from the films “incredibly seriously”. “But we do follow the ethos of the films in searching out the cream of British acting talent, not necessarily the biggest stars,” he added.

Rowling, 59, has faced accusations of transphobia in recent years for putting an emphasis on biological sex over gender identity in comments about trans women. She denies the accusation.

Asked if he was worried her involvement in the production could prove problematic, Mr Bloys said he was not concerned.

‘Resonate’

Award-winning dark comedy The White Lotus is this time set in Thailand, with Thai singer Lisa of megastar K-pop girl group Blackpink among the cast, alongside veteran Hollywood star Scott Glenn.

Meanwhile, post-apocalyptic drama The Last Of Us, starring Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal, picks up where the acclaimed first season released in 2023 ended.

Joined by actress-turned-executive producer Salma Hayek, Mr Bloys also announced that Max has commissioned a second season of HBO’s current Spanish-language hit Like Water For Chocolate.

Based on the best-selling 1989 novel of the same name by Mexican author Laura Esquivel, it has been among the most-watched series on the platform following its release in November.

“It’s been incredible to see such an important Mexican story resonate with audiences around the world,” Hayek said. “We are thrilled to confirm a second season of Like Water For Chocolate and are looking forward to giving closure to such a strong and powerful story.”

Mr Bloys said Max was moving beyond what some have called “patchy” programming across the industry following the Hollywood strikes and Covid-19 pandemic.

“I believe we’re past all of that, starting in 2025 for the next two years, we’ve got a very robust slate,” he added.

Max streams its own original shows and big-budget HBO titles, as well as Warner Bros films and other content. It is available in the United States, some Latin American and European countries and parts of Asia, including Singapore.

It is set to expand to other countries, including Britain and Australia, in the coming years, with a focus on original local programming.

Following the recent success of its first scripted series in France, The Confidante, it will launch several new French-language shows on the platform in 2025.

They include a reimagining of Dangerous Liaisons, the classic novel by French author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, which will be called The Seduction outside of France and stars German actress Diane Kruger.

“It was time for a retelling,” she said during a brief appearance at the London event. “It’s an interesting take on the story.” AFP