JK Rowling says the new Harry Potter TV series ‘will more than live up to expectations’ as Warner Bros announce Game Of Thrones and Succession stars as producers

JK Rowling has confirmed that the new TV series of Harry Potter will exceed fans ‘expectations’.

Based on the books by the author, the famous wizarding world was previously turned into films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

Now the long awaited upcoming decade-long TV show is set to feature different stars and has finally found the perfect director and producer.

Warner Bros, the production company behind the original films, has confirmed that Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, who both worked on acclaimed drama Succession, will be executive producers of the ‘faithful adaptation’.

Reacting to the news, executive producer Rowling wrote on X: ‘I’m truly thrilled to announce our director and writer, both of whom I interviewed as part of the production team.

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JK Rowling has confirmed that the new TV series of Harry Potter will exceed fans ‘expectations’

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Based on the books by the author, the famous wizarding world was previously turned into films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (pictured 2001)

‘Both have a genuine passion for Harry Potter, and having read Francesca’s pilot script and heard Mark’s vision, I’m certain the TV show will more than live up to expectations.’

Francesca, also known for her work on BBC shows, the fantasy programme His Dark Materials and thriller Killing Eve, will be the showrunner and writer on the Harry Potter series.

Mark, known for HBO’s Game Of Thrones and The Last Of Us, will direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO and Warner Bros streaming channel Max.

The cast of beloved characters including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who had been played by Daniel, Emma and Rupert respectively, will be announced at a later date.

Warner Bros said: ‘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.’

Rowling spent almost two decades creating an elaborate magical world beloved by millions of readers across the globe.

But she admitted earlier this year that finally completing the Harry Potter series felt like a ‘bereavement’.

The Edinburgh-based author immersed herself in writing the novels and saw the ‘Potter phenomenon’ exceed all expectations to become the most popular children’s books of the modern era.

Warner Bros, the production company behind the original films, has confirmed that Francesca Gardiner (L) and Mark Mylod (R), who both worked on acclaimed drama Succession, will be executive producers of the ‘faithful adaptation’

Reacting to the news, executive producer Rowling wrote on X: ‘I’m truly thrilled to announce our director and writer, both of whom I interviewed as part of the production team

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She added: ‘Both have a genuine passion for Harry Potter, and having read Francesca’s pilot script and heard Mark’s vision, I’m certain the TV show will more than live up to expectations’

Rowling first came upon the idea for Harry Potter, played in the films by Daniel Radcliffe, below, in 1990 while delayed on a train from Manchester to London.

In 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first of what would be a seven book series was published. But when she completed the final book in 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she said she felt both relief and a sense of loss.

Rowling said: ‘I lived a huge amount of my life in that world in a way no one else can.

‘Some of those 17 years had been quite traumatic for me, and this was a place I was escaping into. So the idea I would never be able to escape there again was a bereavement.

‘That said, to be very honest, I was on a certain level relieved it was over. I’d done what I set out to do, and the Potter phenomenon had become something no one could have predicted.

‘It sounds bizarre, but [after Potter] I felt, I’m free to fail, I’m free to write what I want, [even] if no one wants to read it.

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Rowling first came upon the idea for Harry Potter, played in the films by Daniel Radcliffe , below, in 1990 while delayed on a train from Manchester to London