UPDATE 10/6: Now it’s in writing. Ellison and Kreiz named Harry Potter one of Skydance’s core franchises in their Day One memo.
UPDATE 10/2: More on why Ellison left HBO alone: Matt Reeves and HBO’s top producers lobbied to keep Casey Bloys.
UPDATE 10/1: The same insiders now say Harry Potter will stream on both HBO Max and Paramount+.
David Ellison takes over Warner Bros. Discovery within days, with the Paramount merger set to close by early October.
HBO boss Casey Bloys, whose future at HBO has been an open question for weeks, is now said to be taking over streaming for the combined company.
So fans have been asking the obvious question: does the new Paramount-WBD boss cancel HBO’s Harry Potter series?
The show has taken months of backlash over the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Snape, with the first teaser sitting at over 376,000 dislikes, and author J.K. Rowling has been at the center of her own controversies.
And there’s worry that Bloys is going to do to Harry Potter, similar to what Disney did with Star Wars, Marvel, and Doctor Who: tank them completely.
Our Paramount insiders say no, Ellison is not canceling Harry Potter.
Harry Potter Has To Be A Huge Hit
The reasoning goes straight to why Ellison is leaving HBO’s leadership alone right now.
“Remember HBO has Harry Potter coming up. It has to be a huge hit. They’ve spent ungodly amounts of $$$ on it. Ellison must’ve thought shaking up HBO leadership now wasn’t worth it,” an insider tells us.
The timing backs that up. Season 1 premieres Christmas Day on HBO Max, just weeks after Ellison takes the keys.
Harry Potter is the first big swing of the Paramount era, whether Ellison picked it or not.
It also lines up with what the same sources told us on September 15, when Paramount was already holding meetings over the backlash to HBO’s shows, Harry Potter included.
One insider said then that Season 1 was done, so there was “nothing they can do” but “hype up the good elements and ignore the bad casting choices.”
The same insider put it plainly: “It’s a brand problem. And the Ellisons are paying $$$$$ for that brand.”
Season 2 Is Already Filming
Canceling was never really on the table, and the production schedule shows why.
Season 1, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, wrapped filming back in May and premieres December 25 on HBO Max.
HBO renewed the show for Season 2 that same week, before a single episode had aired, with Chamber of Secrets officially set to start shooting this fall.
Cameras may already be rolling. Series actress Asha Soetan, who plays Angelina Johnson, said back in August that Season 2 filming had started, though HBO has not officially confirmed a start date.
Season 2 casting has kept rolling out either way, with Rafe Spall boarding the show as Arthur Weasley earlier this month.
HBO has mapped out seven seasons over the next decade, one per book. By the time Ellison is running things day to day, two of them will be shot or close to it.
These are the same Paramount sources who told us about the backlash meetings two weeks ago, and they say the show is staying put.
Ellison isn’t canceling Harry Potter. He’s counting on it.
