TV

Max Harry Potter's Rumored Showrunner Spells a Much Darker Adaptation

Max Harry Potter's Rumored Showrunner Spells a Much Darker Adaptation
Image credit: Warner Bros, HBO

If you were hoping for a Chris Columbus-inspired fairy-tale adaptation, think again.

Summary:

  • Max’s upcoming Harry Potter TV show remains a dark horse in fans’ eyes, with next to no official information being disclosed about it.
  • According to several insiders, Succession ’s Francesca Gardiner might become the new adaptation’s showrunner and Creative Lead.
  • Francesca Gardiner can create a uniform style for the series, and judging from her previous works, it might be more serious and dark than expected.

Ever since its announcement a few months ago, there have been many rumors and speculations surrounding Max’s upcoming Harry Potter TV show. Fans don’t know whether to trust the new creators or not and are afraid of an unfaithful adaptation, despite the company promising to respect the source material: J.K. Rowling’s books.

But there have been some pretty promising updates about the Max show recently.

Succession’s Creator Might Run the New Harry Potter Series

A few weeks ago, we reported that Francesca Gardiner was among the three final candidates for the position of the Creative Lead for the new Harry Potter TV show. Gardiner is known for her work on highly successful shows like Succession, His Dark Materials, Killing Eve, The Man in the High Castle, and Rook, per say.

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While no official confirmation has been issued yet, another source recently confirmed Gardiner’s potential work on Max’s upcoming show. The Hot Mic’s John Rocha revealed that, according to his sources, the Succession writer will indeed become the showrunner for the new Harry Potter TV series. Might not feel like much, but we couldn’t help but notice that Rocha didn’t even mention the other two candidates.

Max’s Harry Potter Will Be Much Darker Under Gardiner

If Francesca Gardiner indeed signs the Creative Lead contract for the series, we have an idea of the direction the new Harry Potter will go. Given Gardiner’s previous works, we assume that her approach to J.K. Rowling’s books will be more serious than that of the first original movies; she’s no Chris Columbus, that’s for sure.

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The original Harry Potter movies suffered from their lack of uniformed style throughout all the installments: from the light-hearted first movies to the grim and dark final films, their tones were shifting dramatically. If Francesca Gardiner’s previous shows are anything to go by, she will likely incorporate a more grounded, serious, and dark approach right from the start.

Some fans might find that disturbing, while others (like yours truly) are down for it. But it’s too early to jump to conclusions, anyway: not only have we not heard Gardiner’s own statement but we don’t even have an official confirmation of her involvement with the project just yet.

Source: The Hot Mic podcast via YouTube