Warner has revealed big plans for the Harry Potter franchise that will elevate the sorcerer’s apprentice to the level of iconic characters like Batman.
The end of the Wizarding World has been officially sealed by Warner and a new roadmap for the Harry Potter franchise has been launched. In addition to the baking show Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, which starts next week and features the Weasley twins James and Oliver Phelps, and a huge new amusement park in Florida that is scheduled to open next year, the Harry Potter series currently in development will serve as a major new flagship for the brand.
In doing so, Warner wants to make Harry Potter an even bigger figure than she already is – and to do so, they are modeling themselves on another Warner franchise.
Harry Potter is supposed to last for many generations: Batman as a role model for fantasy franchises
As Variety reports in a comprehensive article about Warner Bros. Harry Potter plans, the character of Harry Potter is to develop steadily over the years with the franchise. While millennials have grown up with the eight-part film series and Daniel Radcliffe as the iconic sorcerer’s apprentice, the series will release a new Harry into the world, who in turn will appeal to a whole new generation of fans.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Robert Obershelp sees the development of the Harry Potter character over the years as being similar to the character of Batman, who has been an iconic and ever-reappearing character for the studio for 75 years. He asks, “How many Batmans are there?” Over the years, Obershelp hopes that Harry Potter fans will discuss the different versions of his character in various adaptations and ask themselves, “Which Harry do you want to be?”
Watch the first teaser for the Harry Potter series here:
Even if Obershelf doesn’t explicitly say it here, it still suggests that the studio hasn’t finished working on the Harry Potter franchise with the upcoming series. In light of the studio’s recently announced Game of Thrones movie, new film adaptations for the franchise are not inconceivable. For example, fans have been discussing a possible film adaptation of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for years.