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David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said that he’s open to the idea of working with author J.K. Rowling on more Harry Potter content while speaking about the company’s future in a Q3 earnings call.
“We’re going to have a real focus on franchises,” Zaslav said in response to a question asked during the call. “We haven’t had a Superman movie in 13 years. We haven’t done a Harry Potter movie in 15 years. The DC movies and Harry Potter movies provided a lot of the profits of Warner Bros. Motion Pictures over the last 25 years. So a focus on franchise–one of the big advantages that we have, House of the Dragon, is an example of that, Game of Thrones, taking advantage of Sex and the City, Lord of the Rings–we still have the right to do Lord of the Rings movies. What are the movies that have brands that are understood and loved everywhere in the world?”
Regarding Harry Potter specifically, Zasalv said that he would be interested “if we can do something with J.K. on Harry Potter going forward.”
Rowling started the controversy with a series of posts on Twitter in June 2020 regarding her stance on gender identity and biological sex. Following Rowling’s statements, many cast members have come out against her views, including Daniel Radcliffe, who spoke about his stance on the issue again this week. Other members, like Ralph Fiennes, have defended her repeatedly. Since then, Potter-related groups, like the team behind the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy, as well as the organizers of the sport once called Quidditch have distanced themselves from her.
