Is Warner Teaming with J.Okay. Rowling for Extra ‘Harry Potter’ Movies?

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has been making headlines this 12 months with a sequence of utmost cuts within the identify of a 10-year plan meant to reshape the corporate (and compete with Marvel). Now, Zaslav has introduced his marketing campaign to focus extensively on franchises, together with new movies from controversial Harry Potter writer J.Okay. Rowling. That is, in fact, if she’s going to agree.

“We’re going to concentrate on franchises,” Zaslav said throughout an investor name final week. “We haven’t had a Superman film in 13 years. We haven’t carried out a Harry Potter in 15 years. The DC films and the Harry Potter films supplied plenty of the earnings for Warner Bros… over the previous 25 years.”

On this identical investor name, Zaslav talked about Discovery nonetheless has theatrical rights to Lord of the Rings (a possible competitor to Amazon’s Rings of Energy?) earlier than concluding that Harry Potter could be a superb transfer, “if we will do one thing with J.Okay. […] going ahead.”

Zaslav continued, “[…] when you have got a franchise film, you may typically make two to 3 instances the amount of cash that you just make within the U.S., since you get a slot. And a concentrate on the large films which are cherished, which are tentpoled, that individuals are going to go away early from dinner to go to see — and we’ve plenty of them. Batman, Superman, Aquaman, if we will do one thing with JK on Harry Potter going ahead, Lord of the Rings, what are we doing with Sport of Thrones? What are we doing with plenty of the large franchises that we’ve? We’re centered on franchises.”

Whereas the Wizarding World of Harry Potter remains to be very a lot beloved by many generations, Rowling has turn into a polarizing determine for her opinions on trans males. Her stance has led all three theatrical leads, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, to talk out in opposition to the writer. It doesn’t appear possible that the actors would assist a brand new undertaking if Rowling was even peripherally concerned, however something is feasible.

No matter common dissent, a undertaking does appear possible, because the studio nonetheless backs Rowling, stating, “For 20 years, Warner Bros., J.Okay. Rowling and her workforce have labored collectively to thrill followers world wide with spectacular storytelling and the magic of the Wizarding World.”