With a deal with the books’ author JK Rowling, who has creative authority over any exploitation of her work, the long-rumored Harry Potter TV series for HBO Max is on track to overcome the biggest obstacle standing in the way of its realisation on television.

Rowling is in discussions with Warner Bros to serve as a director on the endeavor, according to Deadline. The project, which is in its early phases, is anticipated to begin looking for a writer once she joins. The seven-book Harry Potter book series will be the centre of each season of the potential TV show, according to Bloomberg, which broke the news first.

The series would be produced by Warner Bros Television.

A couple of years back, HBO Max and its former parent company WarnerMedia began investigating the possibility of a Harry Potter TV series. To handle the Wizarding World and Potter franchises, which include theme parks, tours, and the $9.1 billion-grossing theatrical library that includes the Harry Potter books and the Fantastic Beasts spinoff, Warner Bros. at the time named Tom Ascheim as president of Kids, Young Adult, and Classics. Ascheim took on the role of WarnerMedia’s top representative in its interactions with Rowling and her agents as a result, and preliminary discussions for a Max series began.

That unit was dissolved and Ascheim left the firm after the Discovery acquisition was finished a year ago. However, following the merging, the Harry Potter IP’s significance only increased.

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has emphasised numerous times his company’s focus on franchises, with mining the Harry Potter IP being a top concern. He has spoken out in support of Rowling, who has been embroiled in an ongoing controversy over her remarks on transgender issues, and has conferred with her numerous times.

The Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion special on HBO Max, the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses event series, and most recently the Hogwarts Legacy hit computer game have all been successful in recent years for WBD and its predecessor WM.