Legendary film studio Warner has been under new management for quite some time now. And new boss David Zaslav has made it clear time and again that he wants to do a lot differently than his predecessors. In a new investor call, which covered Q3 2022 revenue, he also explained his plans to focus even more on franchises in the future.
He cited titles like DC, “Lord of the Rings”, “Game Of Thrones” and “Sex And The City” as brands that are important to him and that one should do more with because they are “understood and loved”. In doing so, he again lashed out at the old leadership, who in his opinion neglected such brands too much:
“We haven’t had a ‘Superman’ movie in 13 years. We haven’t made a Harry Potter movie in 15 years. The DC movies and the Harry Potter movies have brought a lot of profit to Warner over the past 25 years,” said Zaslav. And it’s not the only statement about “Harry Potter” that is causing a stir.
Does the new Warner boss want more “Harry Potter”? Guaranteed!
It is already known that a new “Superman” movie is coming. Henry Cavill has returned as the famous DC hero with Black Adam and Man Of Steel 2 is currently in development. The close connection between the statement about Superman and that about Harry Potter now suggests that similar comeback plans are in the works. And Zaslav made it even more concrete.
So he made it clear that people are watching “if you can do something with JK Rowling on ‘Harry Potter’ in the future”. Since he doesn’t really consider the “Fantastic Beasts” series to be part of “Harry Potter” (there have been for the past 15 years), there is a lot of evidence that Zaslav is alluding to “Harry Potter 8”. With “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” there is already a sequel that can also be adapted for the cinema as a follow-up to the two-part finale “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.
Perhaps the plans are a lot more concrete than we think. Of the points out that Zaslav made his comments during a meeting with investors. Usually you don’t make up vague wishes, but rather talk about real plans. So it is quite conceivable that a sequel to the “Harry Potter” films is somehow being planned in the background.
But are the original stars even interested in returning?
However, the return of the original stars, who are at least very important for a real “Harry Potter 8”, could become a problem. Especially ‘Harry Potter’ actors Daniel Radcliffe once again clearly distanced himself from the inventor JK Rowling and her repeated anti-transitions.
The old Warner regime seemed to distance itself a bit, at least for now, from Rowling. The author was not present at the big “Harry Potter” reunion special. Although she explained that she was invited but declined of her own accord, it is rumored that many stars have insisted and even made it a condition of their own participation. However, Zaslav now explicitly mentions JK Rowling, with whom they want to tackle further “Harry Potter” projects.
That “Harry Potter 8” is coming is therefore associated with many question marks. However, we are sure that the current Warner leadership around David Zaslav will try very hard to realize another “Harry Potter” movie.