Who is Francesca Gardiner? Details explored as creative joins Harry Potter series at HBO

The Harry Potter series for the small screens is in the books for HBO, as confirmed by Max on their Instagram page, including the official Instagram pages for HBO and the Harry Potter franchise. The caption of the post said:

"All aboard the Hogwarts Express! Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod will executive produce the new HBO Original Series, Harry Potter, with Gardiner serving as showrunner and Mylod directing multiple episodes. Coming soon to Max."

Francesca Gardiner is a popular screenwriter and producer who was on the production team for HBO's Black Comedy Succession (2018-2023). This show won major accolades, including multiple Golden Globes and Emmys. Succesion holds an impressive IMDb rating of 8.8/10.

The upcoming Harry Potter series will tell the story of all the books by J.K. Rowling. Francesca Gardiner will serve as the writer and showrunner, and Mark Mylod will direct multiple episodes for the franchise.

There has been no casting and release date mentioned for the Harry Potter series, but it is expected to premiere sometime in 2026.

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Everything we know so far about the upcoming Harry Potter series to be helmed by Francesca Gardiner

The idea of making the Harry Potter series was first rumored in 2021. Later, in 2023, a green light was given by Warner Bros. Discovery. The show is slated to run for at least 10 years, and each season will adapt a new Harry Potter novel, as reported by several media houses.

As mentioned, Mark Mylod will serve as executive producer, and Francesca Gardiner will come on board as an executive producer and writer, as recently announced by HBO and Warner Bros. TV. Gardiner will write the Harry Potter stories as an adaptation and fit it into the series structure.

The series will also have J.K. Rowling, David Heyman, and Neil Blair, among others, as executive producers onboard.

The official synopsis of the upcoming Harry Potter series reads:

"The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved 'Harry Potter' book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters 'Harry Potter' fans have loved for over twenty-five years."

It continues:

"Each season will bring 'Harry Potter' and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally."

Back in 2023, while announcing the series, Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Casey Bloys had also talked about the upcoming series to several media houses and said,

"We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon, and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World."

Bloys also revealed later that,

"This new Max Original series (Harry Potter Series) will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years."

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How many Harry Potter novels are there?

There are eight Harry Potter movies to date based on the eight books by J.K. Rowling. The franchise collected a massive $ 7.7 billion against an estimated total budget of $1.8 billion, as per IMDb. The novels include-

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 1997
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 1998
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner Azkaban - 1999
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 2000
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -2003
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 2005
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 2007
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - 2016

The films starred Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, the titular character and the heart of the show. Alongside Harry, Potterheads witnessed Emma Watson starring as Hermione Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Michael Gambon as Professor Dumbledore, and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, among others.

However, there is sad news for Potterhedas as none of the above cast is expected to return for the upcoming series. Daniel Radcliffe even told several media houses about his uncertainty of returning for the Harry Potter series.

"I don't think so, no. Certainly, everything I've read about the series, they're starting fresh, so it'd be a bit weird to have me pop in... There's probably an eight-year-old kid out there whose life is going to change in a couple years, so my brain does go there."

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More news about the Harry Potter series is expected soon once production begins.