Warner Bros. sued by British network over Harry Potter series

Warner Bros. the upcoming Harry Potter series is already in hot water thanks to an ongoing lawsuit from Sky Group.

Although the franchise already has eight films under its belt, HBO and Warner Bros. they are currently working on a new Harry Potter series.

The series is in its infancy as casting was recently announced for some of the main characters, but it looks like the companies behind it will have their hands full before cameras even roll.

Sky Group, longtime distributor of Warner Bros. in the UK, filed a lawsuit on September 27, accusing the studio of “breaching its contract by refusing to cooperate on the upcoming Harry Potter television series,” Variety reports.

Warner Bros.

The case was filed in federal court in New York and outlined how Warner Bros. was “committed to offering four Max series per year, to be co-financed and co-produced by Sky and distributed exclusively to Sky viewers in the UK and other European countries”. territories.”

The lawsuit states that Warner Bros. is allegedly avoiding Sky Group in an attempt to cut it off from any connection with the upcoming series.

“The reason for Warner’s refusal to honor its obligations to Sky could not be clearer,” the lawsuit says. “Warner has chosen to keep the Harry Potter franchise in-house and make this hit franchise the cornerstone of Max’s own European launch.”

The company also alleged that Warner Bros. has deliberately kept them in the dark in an attempt to honor their joint contract, which expires in 2025, while the studio is expected to fully launch Max, its HBO-connected streaming service, across the UK in 2026, around at the same time as the Harry Potter series is scheduled to premiere.

Photos by Warner Bros

Sky Group wrote that Warner Bros. management said the series had not been “commissioned,” even though the company had publicly mentioned its intention to begin production in April 2023 along with “a number of announcements over the past year regarding casting and additions to the series.” the show’s creative team.”

A spokesman for Warner Bros. responded to these claims in a statement obtained by Variety, which reads in part that the lawsuit represents “a baseless attempt by Sky and Comcast to gain an advantage.”

The statement continued: “WBD will vigorously defend itself against this baseless lawsuit, undeterred by plans to release Max, including the new HBO Harry Potter series, in the UK and other European markets in 2026.”

For more, check out our guide to the hottest TV shows, the best series to stream in September, and all the new true crime and documentary series streaming this month.