Although Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has previously stated she won’t be writing any episodes for HBO’s upcoming adaptation, she recently visited the set to see how production was progressing.
Filming officially began on July 14, when HBO unveiled the first look at Dominic McLaughlin as The Boy Who Lived.
Four months on, production appears to be in full swing with no signs of slowing down.
While there have only been rumors that HBO planned to shoot The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets back-to-back, recent remarks from HBO chairman and CEO Casey Bloys seem to confirm that approach.
At a recent press event, Bloys stated, "The plan is to still try and get it — I don’t know if it’s going to be like stop shooting Season 1 on Friday and start Season 2 on Monday. There’ll be a break in there, but we’re going to do whatever we can to not have a huge gap. For the kids, obviously, but also for viewers. You know, trying to not have massive gaps. It is a big show, lots of special effects, obviously, massive operation, but we’re going to do what we can."
Reports later clarified that work on the season 2 scripts is underway, though they’re still not fully complete.
Still, considering the series is being positioned as a more faithful, one-to-one adaptation of the novels than the films ever were, it raises an interesting question: just how much time does a writers’ room truly need when the blueprint is already so closely defined?
Francesca Gardiner (His Dark Materials), is the showrunner of the upcoming reboot and also wrote the pilot.
Newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton will step into the legendary roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, respectively.
They'll be joined by an impressive supporting cast: John Lithgow will portray Albus Dumbledore, Essiedu as Snape, Janet McTeer will play Professor McGonagall, Nick Frost joins as Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Filch.
Though a release date has not yet been confirmed, HBO is assuring fans that this adaptation will remain deeply loyal to J.K. Rowling’s original book series.