The Harry Potter TV series “Welcome to Derry” will be branded as an HBO original instead of “Max”

June 25, 2024

Warner Bros. Discovery is making a subtle realignment of its original programming: May Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max Content, has announced that the upcoming “Harry Potter” television series and the “It” prequel series “Welcome to Derry” will be renamed from “Max” to “HBO Original” series.

In a new interview with Variety, Bloys explained that the Harry Potter television series, which is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2026, as well as Welcome to Derry and the just-greenlit Green Lantern television show titled Lanterns, will all move from Max to HBO Originals.

This is quite a shift from the previous messaging, which explicitly labeled the Harry Potter series and Welcome to Derry as content being developed for the streaming platform. Bloys explained the decision in an interview with Variety, saying they noticed more similarities between HBO and Max’s content during development.

“We felt like we needed to differentiate between an HBO show and a Max show,” Bloys said. “The idea of using Warner Bros. IP as a demarcation for Max felt right. At least it gives you free reign. But when we started producing these shows, we used the same methods and the same mindset that we used on HBO shows. In many cases, it was the same talent that worked on HBO shows.”

The Harry Potter television series has been in the works since 2021. Although Warner Bros. Discovery has not announced any details, including what the series will focus on, reports claim that the series will be a more faithful adaptation of JK Rowling’s novels. In June 2023, actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played the title character in the films from 2001 to 2011, stated in an interview with Deadline that he will likely not make a cameo in the series.

Meanwhile, the Welcome to Derry series will serve as a prequel to Andy Muschietti’s recent It films. Although it was previously reported that actor Bill Skarsgård would not reprise his role as Pennywise the Clown, it was confirmed last May that the actor would play the character after all. Welcome to Derry is currently scheduled to premiere next year.

While the Harry Potter TV series Welcome to Derry and Laterns will not be branded as Max originals, some upcoming Max original series that will continue to run under the banner include Batman spinoff series The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy, both of which are set to debut on the WB-owned streaming service later this year. In the case of the former, however, Bloys hinted that the series would have received the original HBO branding if the timing was better.

“We will start in 2025, although The Penguin would obviously be a good fit as an HBO original,” Bloys explained. “Unfortunately, the international licensing process has already begun.”

Taylor is a reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.