Harry Potter is one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. Based on the incredibly popular fantasy book series, it has a string of record-breaking blockbuster films, the Fantastic Beasts spinoff trilogy, video games and several theme park locales. And due to the immense success of the IP, a TV series is currently in development for Max. While purchasing the rights to the books may have been one of the best decisions Warner Bros. ever made, it turns out, not everyone was on board at first. That’s right, the movie exec who bought the rights revealed that his boss was was somewhat mad about the decision at the time.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, a producer and former president of worldwide production at WB, recently sat down with Collider to discuss his latest feature, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. During the interview, the Hollywood veteran also opened up about his decision to invest in Harry Potter. He kicked things off by discussing what drew him to the material and, on top of that, he revealed that he was able to get in on the story very early on. He said:
It was a great book, and [when] we read it… it had not been published. I think while we were negotiating, it was released in England and it started becoming a phenomenon. It was just a great story, and it just felt fresh and it caught my imagination more than anything else. Then I met J.K. (Rowling) and she laid out seven books, like where it was going, and it was just like, ‘Wow, okay, we don’t have to do much,’ you know? Like it’s been figured out. We just have to now figure out how to reduce it to a two-hour kind of experience.
The studio was definitely able to do so, as history tells us. While the Potter films are condensed, considering how long the books are, the adaptations are remarkable, taking the best parts from the novels and creating coherent storylines. They were very faithful for the most part, and that’s especially true of the adaptation for the final book, The Deathly Hallows, which was split into two movies. Though the motion pictures are widely loved today, one WB exec wasn’t so pleased with the amount of money that was shelled out for the rights:
It was interesting because at the time, some of my boss’ reaction was, ‘Why are you buying a kid book for a lot of money?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s not a kid book, it’s an everybody book. It’s got a great imagination.’ That’s what drew me to it.
The exec did have a point, at that time. The series may have begun as a kid-centric property, but the movies were able to break down age barriers. And what helped even more is that as the core characters matured, so did the storytelling. That allowed audiences to grow with Harry, Hermione, Ron and co. and establish the IP’s mass appeal. I’m sure the person who wasn’t too enthusiastic about the purchase feels a lot differently now, as the franchise’s popularity has been meteoric. The Wizarding World saga has earned over $9.6 billion at the box office worldwide, making it the fourth-highest grossing film series of all time.
The lasting power has also been impressive, as there is still a hankering for more installments. It has been over 10 years since the final film premiered and, since then, the studio filmed the incredibly memorable Return to Hogwarts reunion. This gave the cast the chance to reminisce, and it satiated fans’ desires to see the OG stars back together again. Considering the success, it’s no surprise that the studio is now planning to adapt the novels into a Potter TV series for Max. So needless to say, any backlash aside, Lorenzo di Bonaventura more than made the right decision.
Potterheads can revisit the iconic film series and its spinoffs now using a Max subscription. For more information on the Wizarding World films, make sure to read up on the order of all the Harry Potter movies.