Warner Bros. sees Harry Potter having as many incarnations as Batman

Speaking in a strictly pop culture sense, we live in what one might call “the goofiest era,” in which actors was poetic about passing down superhero roles like they’re Shakespeare and studios are tripping over themselves to remake the same intellectual property over and over again. The last Harry Potter film was less than 15 years ago, and Warner Bros. has already set the wheels in motion for a television series reboot. For those of us who think it’s too soon and too much Harry Potter, Robert Oberschelp, Warner Bros. Discovery’s head of global consumer products, disagrees, and makes this argument to Variety: “How many different Batmans are there?” 

Well, one could argue that there are also too many Batmans (or at least too many attempts at a shared DC Universe in the past 10 years, and possibly too many Batmans under James Gunn, specifically with the whole “Elseworlds” deal). Nevertheless, Oberschelp imagines a future of fans dressed up in slightly different variations of the Hogwarts uniform asking, “What Harry are you?” Yes, the Comic-Con possibilities are—for better or worse—endless.

This is all part of a Variety overview of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Harry Potter strategy, which is essentially to slap some HP branding on as much merchandise, theme park experiences, and content as possible. (Controversial author J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in all of this development, but is kept apprised of the goings on and “If we’re going to ever go beyond a canon conversation, we make sure that we’re all comfortable with what we’re doing,” Oberschelp says.) Though the Fantastic Beasts franchise fizzled, WBD still feels reasonably confident about the popularity of HP, especially after the popularity of the Hogwarts Legacy game. (Besides the TV show and a new Potter-branded baking series, video games is a big avenue that they’re reportedly exploring.) 

“We have known for some time that fans are looking for more things in this world, and so we’re spending a lot of time thinking about that,” David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, explained to the outlet about placating. “Our insights tell us that there are not huge distinctions between a younger version of a fan and an older version of a fan. They’re just deep Harry Potter fans, and we try to build authentic experiences to delight them.”

It calls to mind a quote from another Harry Potter person—Miriam Margoyles, who played Professor Sprout. “They should be over that by now,” she said. “You know, I mean, it was 25 years ago, and it’s for children. I think it’s for children. But they get stuck in it.” All the better for Warner Bros. pockets!