HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Series Confirmed to Overlap With Iconic Film Timeline

The Harry Potter universe is officially heading in a new direction, but it seems like two major upcoming projects are keeping close ties with the film series they’re supposedly leaving behind. The much-talked-about Harry Potter HBO series and the recently announced “Hogwarts Legacy 2” video game are both part of a growing franchise, yet they might be more connected to past projects than fans expected.

The Harry Potter television series in development for HBO is set to recast everyone from Harry to Hermione and promises to be a “faithful adaptation” of J.K. Rowling’s original novels. With each season tackling one book, this seven-season commitment is positioned as a reboot of the entire film saga. This new adaptation, entirely separate from the iconic film series, will create its own continuity, effectively starting a fresh timeline—or so we thought.

Following the release of “Hogwarts Legacy”, the open-world video game set in the Wizarding World of the late 1800s, it became clear that there’s still plenty of interest in this magical universe. Though met with mixed reviews, “Hogwarts Legacy” has sold millions of copies globally, with rumors swirling about a sequel almost immediately after its launch.

However, the game’s connection to the Harry Potter films remains ambiguous, despite featuring Luke Youngblood, the actor who played Gryffindor’s Quidditch commentator Lee Jordan in the original movies. In “Hogwarts Legacy”, Youngblood voices a Ravenclaw prankster named Everett Clopton—a role that, for many, seemed like a fun nod to fans rather than a direct link to the existing continuity.

Now, Warner Bros. Games has confirmed that “Hogwarts Legacy 2” is officially in the works. And in an unexpected twist, Warner Bros. also seemingly revealed that both “Hogwarts Legacy” games will share canonical ties with the HBO series. According to David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the team has been collaborating on story elements to align the game with the upcoming television show. Exactly what this means is still unclear, but it’s safe to say that the video game and TV series will intersect in new and exciting ways, marking a major milestone for the franchise.

“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,” Haddad explained in an interview with Variety. “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.” With the storylines in “Hogwarts Legacy 2” intertwining with the HBO series, it appears fans may get a unified Wizarding World experience like never before.

While “Hogwarts Legacy 2” and the Harry Potter HBO series are poised to be the latest entries in the Wizarding World, Warner Bros. has assured fans that the original films “will remain at the core of the franchise.” This announcement suggests that while new content will expand the universe, the iconic movie adaptations will continue to be a foundational part of the Harry Potter legacy.

The Fantastic Beasts series, however, won’t be part of this new era. According to Newt Scamander actor Eddie Redmayne and director David Yates, the spinoff films are effectively done. But fans are left wondering if the HBO series will adopt elements from the Fantastic Beasts movies in the same way it’s incorporating “Hogwarts Legacy” into its canon. If this is the case, we might see even more characters transcending separate Harry Potter timelines.

For instance, Luke Youngblood’s return to the Wizarding World with a brand-new character technically bridges the gap between two Harry Potter continuities. The same could happen for Jamie Campbell Bower, who portrayed young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and again in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Additionally, Hebe Beardsall, who played Ariana Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and reprised her role in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, could also potentially exist in two different Harry Potter timelines.

These connections between the HBO series and “Hogwarts Legacy” could lead to more crossover opportunities for actors, characters, and plot points across different Wizarding World projects. As the franchise enters this exciting new era, Warner Bros. appears to be finding ways to honor its past while pushing forward with fresh narratives and interpretations of Rowling’s world.

But with all these ties to previous adaptations, it raises an important question: should “Hogwarts Legacy” and the new Harry Potter series be as closely linked as Warner Bros. suggests? Some fans may argue for a clean break, favoring a distinct timeline for each adaptation, while others may welcome the opportunity for a more interconnected Wizarding World. Or “Wizarding World Multiverse,” if you will.

What are your thoughts? Should “Hogwarts Legacy” and the HBO series stay separate, or does the idea of a shared universe across mediums sound like the perfect way to keep the magic alive? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned for more updates as this new chapter unfolds.