The upcoming Harry Potter TV show reboot is still several months away from premiering, but HBO Max is about to release a new project related to the Wizarding World franchise.
HBO Max just announced its featured programming for May 2026, and included on the schedule is the debut of Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast season 1. Not much is currently known about the podcast, but based on the title, it seems the project will revisit and reflect on the eight movies that were released from 2001 to 2011.
The Harry Potter film podcast continues a popular trend in recent years in which networks and streaming services release official podcasts connected to their most popular content.
HBO has done the same for Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Succession, And Just Like That…, True Detective, Watchmen, The Gilded Age, Chornobyl, The Jinx, and several others. Insecuritea: An Insecure Podcast seasons 4 & 5 will arrive on HBO Max beginning May 1.
Based on the releases of other HBO podcasts, the Harry Potter film podcast will most likely be available on all major podcasting platforms, not just on HBO Max.
The Harry Potter movie series is still one of the most beloved and successful franchises ever, despite controversies in recent years relating to the Fantastic Beasts films and author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views.
Five years after the final Harry Potter film was released in 2011, Warner Bros. launched a new Wizarding World series based on the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them companion book, written by fictional author and magizoologist Newt Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne on the big screen).
While Fantastic Beasts started strong, reviews for the second and third installments were largely negative, and the box office returns suffered. Even though Rowling had planned on writing five films, Warner Bros. halted the spinoff series after just three.
The studio then decided to revisit the most beloved part of the franchise—the Harry Potter books—by adapting them as a TV show, with each season focusing on a different novel.
The first season of the Harry Potter series, which stars Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, respectively, will premiere in December 2026 on HBO and HBO Max. These three young actors are following in the footsteps of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who originated the roles in the film adaptations beginning in 2001.
While the movies never won any Oscars, they did garner mostly positive reviews from critics (with Rotten Tomatoes scores ranging from 76% to 96%) and collectively earned $7.7 billion at the box office, making Harry Potter one of the highest-grossing franchises ever.
HBO has already released a teaser trailer and a behind-the-scenes special for the upcoming TV reboot, and now the entertainment company is revisiting the Harry Potter films with an official podcast on HBO Max.
Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast season 1 debuts Tuesday, May 19 on HBO Max.
Unexpected Team-Up: Prince William and Emma Watson Unite for Change
Prince William had plenty to celebrate this weekend, but his latest public appearance quickly turned heads for a very different reason. After marking his 44th birthday and Father's Day with his family, the future king returned to royal duties—and made a surprisingly personal confession about the emotional toll of climate change.
William joined Hollywood stars Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch at a United for Wildlife forum in London, an initiative he launched with the Royal Foundation in 2013. The organization works around the world to combat wildlife trafficking, environmental crime, and the destruction of endangered species.
But it was William's candid admission about his own fears that stole the spotlight.
The Prince of Wales revealed that climate change has caused him "sleepless nights," admitting he has struggled with anxiety about what the future could look like. Yet instead of allowing those fears to overwhelm him, William said seeing real progress through conservation efforts has helped keep his environmental anxiety under control.
He also delivered a powerful message to business leaders, urging them to become the kind of leaders they admired when they were children. With technology and innovation transforming the world at an incredible pace, William challenged CEOs to use their influence to create meaningful change.
The event launched London Climate Action Week, with more royal appearances expected, including the Earthshot Prize assembly.
Emma Watson also delivered a surprising revelation of her own. The Harry Potter star highlighted the fashion industry's enormous environmental impact, pointing out that it produces more emissions than aviation and ranks behind only oil among major polluting industries.
Watson, who is also pursuing a doctorate in philosophy at Oxford, shared a hilarious story about mistakenly believing paparazzi were following her. After spotting photographers with telephoto lenses, she arranged a distraction and escaped through another exit. The twist? They weren't photographing her at all. They were waiting to capture a red kite.
Meanwhile, Benedict Cumberbatch praised William as "a great guy" and urged businesses and individuals to recognize that they can still make a difference, even when global environmental challenges appear overwhelming.
With William, Watson, and Cumberbatch joining forces on the issue, the London forum delivered a clear message: the fight against environmental destruction is becoming impossible for the world's biggest names to ignore.
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