Harry Potter TV series renewed for second season by HBO
Production of the second season will begin in autumn 2026, ahead of the first season's Christmas debut
The second series of a Harry Potter TV adaptation has been confirmed by HBO, months before the first season is due to drop.
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The American network announced on Thursday that production of the second series will get underway in autumn 2026, before the first series is released on Christmas Day.
HBO plans to adapt all of the JK Rowling fantasy books for television across a decade-long run.
The next series will therefore likely focus on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in the saga.
Read more: Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts in first trailer for new HBO series adapting JK Rowling books
Read more:JK Rowling furiously brands Emma Watson 'ignorant' as row over trans rights continues
Jon Brown, a writer on the first season, has been promoted to show-runner along with Francesca Gardiner for the second instalment.
Gardiner said bringing on a co show-runner was necessary to manage the overlapping schedules of the two seasons.
“As we have laid out our plans for the overlapping production schedules to finish season one by Christmas and to return to production for season two this autumn, it has become clear that bringing on a co-showrunner is the key to maintaining our momentum,” she said.
“I’ve loved working with Jon from the very first day we met on Succession through to these recent times together on Harry Potter. Not only do I have huge admiration for his writing, but he’s also a brilliant collaborator and a lovely person. We are lucky to have him.”
Brown said: “It has been a joy to write on Philosopher’s Stone and I’d like to thank Francesca and HBO for putting their faith in me to continue this remarkable journey,” he said. “Seems you’re never too old to get your invitation to Hogwarts.”
Filming of the first eight-episode season, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, started last summer and is expected to wrap up in the next few weeks.
It stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, along with John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore.
Th original 2001 film catapulted its three young leads - Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) to super stardom.
It is the fourth-highest grossing film series of all time, with the eight films raking in $7.7 billion worldwide.
The first trailer for the highly anticipated show dropped last month, with the two-minute clip becoming the most watched HBO trailer in history, racking up more than 277 million views across its first 48 hours online.
"There is nothing special about Harry Potter - at least that's what his Aunt Petunia always says," the season one logline says.
"On his 11th birthday, a letter of admittance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry opens up a hidden world for Harry: one of fun, friendship and magic. But with this new adventure comes great risk as Harry is forced to face a dangerous enemy from his past."
The series has generated some controversy because of JK Rowling's comments about transgender issues, with some fans even threatening to boycott the show due to her views.
In 2019, the author, 60, was criticised by some fans after tweeting in support of a woman who was fired from her job over social media posts questioning government plans to allow people to self-identify as a different gender.
Some stars have explicitly condemned the author's stance on transgender issues.
John Lithgow - who plays Dumbledore - said Ms Rowling's views were “ironic and inexplicable” given that her books are “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry”.
Hagrid actor Nick Frost said Ms Rowling was "allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine – they just don’t align in any way, shape or form.”