3
Credit: Warner Bros.If you are a fan of Harry Potter, we have some good news for you.
The Harry Potter fandom is a phenomenon that began in 1997 with the publication of J.K. Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (known as Sorcerer’s Stone in the US). The series follows the magical adventures of a young orphan named Harry Potter, who discovers he’s a wizard and enrolls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The seven books – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – became a global publishing sensation, selling over 500 million copies worldwide and being translated into 80 languages.
Warner Bros. capitalized on the book series’ success with a film adaptation of each book. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, the movies shattered box office records, collectively grossing over $7.7 billion worldwide.
These talented young actors, along with iconic characters like Albus Dumbledore (played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon), Severus Snape (played by Alan Rickman), and Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes), became household names and cemented their places in pop culture history. The Harry Potter fandom continues to thrive, with fans keeping the magic alive through cosplay, fan fiction, theme park visits, and countless online communities dedicated to the wizarding world.
The series became so popular that the Universal Studios theme parks opened up their very own Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now, we have seen Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, and Diagon Alley come to life. Soon, The Ministry of Magic will also reveal itself after Epic Universe opens in Orlando, rounding out Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida.
As for the future of the Harry Potter fandom, we recently shared that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav believes there is room to grow the franchise, specifically the Harry Potter storyline, which has been dramatically more popular than the Fantastic Beasts spinoff.
We also know that Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed a 2026 release for their highly anticipated Harry Potter TV series on HBO Max. CEO David Zaslav revealed this news after meeting with author J.K. Rowling.
The show promises a multi-year commitment, with Zaslav hinting at “a decade of new stories.” This suggests the series will likely follow a format where each season depicts a year of Harry’s Hogwarts experience. However, Zaslav’s mention of “new stories” also leaves room for the possibility of delving deeper into Harry’s school life than the books did.
The 2026 release date buzz started in January when news broke that writers were pitching ideas for the Harry Potter TV show. While several names were initially tossed around, a recent update suggests Francesca Gardiner (known for work on His Dark Materials and Killing Eve) is a front-runner. However, expect a final writing team to consist of more than just one person.
Now, new information has been divulged that will elate the Harry Potter fandom once more.
Variety now confirmed, “Amazon’s Audible and Pottermore Publishing, the global digital publisher of Rowling’s Wizarding World, will co-produce a brand-new audiobook series for the original seven Harry Potter stories. The new audiobooks are scheduled to premiere in late 2025, with each of the seven English-language titles to be released sequentially for a global audience, exclusively on Audible.”
The publication continued, “The companies said the full-cast audio productions — with more than 100 actors — will “bring these iconic stories to life as never heard before.” The new audiobooks will provide “immersive audio entertainment through high-quality sound design in Dolby Atmos, stunning scoring, a full range of character voices and real-world sound capture,” Audible and Pottermore Publishing said.”
The original single-narrator English-language audiobooks, featuring the voices of Stephen Fry and Jim Dale, will continue to be available. These recordings, first published in 1999, found a new home on Audible in 2015 and have amassed a loyal following, with a total of 1.4 billion global listening hours logged to date.
What will be interesting is that now, with actors cast, Pottermore Publishing will essentially be recasting the original Harry Potter actors.
Additionally, J.K. Rowling has been heavily involved in controversy following her commentary on the LGBTQ+ community, as she has constantly stood up for her beliefs, which are against transgender people. The author has even said she is willing to go to prison to protect her beliefs. “I’ll happily do two years if the alternative is compelled speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of sex,” Rowling said on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.
Knowing this, and the fact that any Harry Potter creations from the Broadway show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to the video game Hogwarts Legacy have been boycotted by thousands, this new series may not go over well, as it is a direct reading of Rowling’s books.
That being said, Variety did state, “The project is unrelated to the eight Warner Bros. movies chronicling the saga of the boy wizard.”
“Beloved the world over, Harry Potter stories have captivated and enchanted fans of all ages for nearly three decades,” Audible CEO Bob Carrigan said. “With millions upon millions of Audible listeners devouring Harry Potter at an astonishing rate, we are thrilled about the opportunity to be part of this next chapter — delighting new and old fans alike with a reinvigorated listening experience that Audible is expertly positioned to create.”
The full announcement can be found in the video below:
Will you be listening to this new audiobook recording of the Harry Potter series?