Adaptations

Films
Main article: Harry Potter (film series)

The locomotive that features as the "Hogwarts Express" in the film series.

In 1998, Rowling sold the film rights of the first four Harry Potter books to Warner Bros. for a
reported £1 million ($1,982,900).[178][179] Rowling demanded the principal cast be kept strictly
British, nonetheless allowing for the inclusion of Irish actors such as the late Richard Harris as
Dumbledore, and for casting of French and Eastern European actors in Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire where characters from the book are specified as such. [180] After many directors
including Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Demme, and Alan Parker were
considered, Chris Columbus was appointed on 28 March 2000 as the director for Harry Potter
and the Philosopher's Stone (titled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the United States),
with Warner Bros. citing his work on other family films such as Home Alone and Mrs.
Doubtfire and proven experience with directing children as influences for their decision. [181]
After extensive casting, filming began in October 2000 at Leavesden Film Studios and in London
itself, with production ending in July 2001.[182][183] Philosopher's Stone was released on 14
November 2001. Just three days after the film's release, production for Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, also directed by Columbus, began. Filming was completed in summer
2002, with the film being released on 15 November 2002. [184] Daniel Radcliffe portrayed Harry
Potter, doing so for all succeeding films in the franchise.
Columbus declined to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, only acting as producer.
Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón took over the job, and after shooting in 2003, the film was
released on 4 June 2004. Due to the fourth film beginning its production before the third's
release, Mike Newell was chosen as the director for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, released
on 18 November 2005.[185] Newell became the first British director of the series, with television
director David Yates following suit after he was chosen to helm Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix. Production began in January 2006 and the film was released the following year in July
2007.[186] After executives were "really delighted" with his work on the film, Yates was selected to
direct Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was released on 15 July 2009.[187][188][189][190]

A studio model of Hogwarts Castle as it appears in the films.

In March 2008, Warner Bros. President and COO Alan F. Horn announced that the final
instalment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, would be released in two
cinematic parts: Part 1 on 19 November 2010 and Part 2 on 15 July 2011. Production of both
parts started in February 2009, with the final day of principal photography taking place on 12
June 2010.[191][192]
Rowling had creative control on the film series, observing the filmmaking process
of Philosopher's Stone and serving as producer on the two-part Deathly Hallows,
alongside David Heyman and David Barron.[193] The Harry Potter films have been top-rank box
office hits, with all eight releases on the list of highest-grossing films worldwide. Philosopher's
Stone was the highest-grossing Harry Potter film up until the release of the final instalment of the
series, Deathly Hallows Part 2, while Prisoner of Azkaban grossed the least.[194] As well as being
a financial success, the film series has also been a success among film critics. [195][196]
Opinions of the films are generally divided among fans, with one group preferring the more
faithful approach of the first two films, and another group preferring the more stylised character-
driven approach of the later films.[197] Rowling has been constantly supportive of all the films and
evaluated Deathly Hallows as her "favourite one" in the series.[198][199][200][201] She wrote on her
website of the changes in the book-to-film transition, "It is simply impossible to incorporate every
one of my storylines into a film that has to be kept under four hours long. Obviously films have
restrictions novels do not have, constraints of time and budget; I can create dazzling effects
relying on nothing but the interaction of my own and my readers' imaginations." [202]
At the 64th British Academy Film Awards in February 2011, Rowling was joined by producers
David Heyman and David Barron along with directors David Yates, Alfonso Cuarón and Mike
Newell in collecting the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema on
behalf of all the films in the series. Actors Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who play main
characters Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were also in attendance.[203][204]
Spin-off prequels
Main article: Fantastic Beasts (film series)
A new prequel series consisting of five films will take place before the main series. [205] The first
film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released in November 2016, followed by the
second Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in November 2018; the next three are due
to be released in 2021, 2022 and 2024 respectively. [206] Rowling wrote the screenplay for the first
three instalments,[207] marking her foray into screenwriting.

Games
Main article: Harry Potter video games
A number of other non-interactive media games and board games have been released such
as Cluedo Harry Potter Edition, Scene It? Harry Potter and Lego Harry Potter models, which are
influenced by the themes of both the novels and films.
There are thirteen Harry Potter video games, eight corresponding with the films and books and
five spin-offs. The film/book-based games are produced by Electronic Arts, as was Harry Potter:
Quidditch World Cup, with the game version of the first entry in the series, Philosopher's Stone,
being released in November 2001. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone went on to become
one of the best-selling PlayStation games ever.[208] The video games were released to coincide
with the films, containing scenery and details from the films as well as the tone and spirit of the
books. Objectives usually occur in and around Hogwarts, along with various other magical areas.
The story and design of the games follow the selected film's characterisation and plot; EA
worked closely with Warner Bros. to include scenes from the films. The last game in the
series, Deathly Hallows, was split, with Part 1 released in November 2010 and Part 2 debuting
on consoles in July 2011. The two-part game forms the first entry to convey an intense theme of
action and violence, with the gameplay revolving around a third-person shooter style format. [209][210]
The spin-off games Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7 were
developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The
spin-off games Book of Spells and Book of Potions were developed by London Studio and use
the Wonderbook, an augmented reality book designed to be used in conjunction with
the PlayStation Move and PlayStation Eye.[211] The Harry Potter universe is also featured in Lego
Dimensions, with the settings and side characters featured in the Harry Potter Adventure World,
and Harry, Voldemort, and Hermione as playable characters. In 2017, Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment opened its own Harry Potter-themed game design studio, by the name of Portkey
Games, before releasing Hogwarts Mystery in 2018, developed by Jam City.[212]

Audiobooks
All seven Harry Potter books have been released in unabridged audiobook versions,
with Stephen Fry reading the UK editions and Jim Dale voicing the series for the American
editions.[213][214]

Stage production
Main article: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts I and II is a play which serves as a sequel to the books,
beginning nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was written
by Jack Thorne based on an original new story by Thorne, Rowling and John Tiffany.[215] It has
run at the Palace Theatre in London's West End since previews began on 7 June 2016 with an
official premiere on 30 June 2016. [216] The first four months of tickets for the June–September
performances were sold out within several hours upon release. [217] Forthcoming productions are
planned for Broadway[218] and Melbourne.[219]
The script was released as a book at the time of the premiere, with a revised version following
the next year.

Spin-off production
Main article: Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic is a play
which is a spin-off from the Harry Potter franchise. It takes place at the same time of the book
series but focuses on the "Puffs", who only wish to be in as much glory as Mr. Potter. It is written
by Matt Cox and was originally directed by Kristin McCarthy Parker. It played off-off-Broadway at
the Peoples' Improv Theatre from 3 December 2015 to fall 2016. It then transferred to the off-
Broadway Elektra Theater where it was modified by Parker and Cox. However, Puffs soon
transferred to a more prominent off-broadway space, New World Stages, where it played from 17
July 2017 – 18 August 2019. Soon after, a production was performed at The Entertainment
Quarter in Sydney, Australia for a limited run. Another production ran at The Lower Ossington
Theatre in Toronto, Canada from 7 June to 14 August 2019. Since then, the rights to the show
has been released (including a junior version) through Samuel French, Inc. (now Concord
Theatricals).
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has begun, Cox has written three additional plays to
the Puffs universe. Nineteen-ish Years After or; There and Back Again was performed on 4 April
2020. A Patreon link was included in the bio of the livestream and all the proceeds from the event
went to Queens Feeds Hospitals. A second play, Dude, Where's My Fantastic Friends?, was
broadcast live on 17 April 2020. The proceeds from this event went to the New York Humane
Society. Finally, on 24 April 2020, PUF3S: Eventfulness Maximus was broadcast as the finale to
the Puffs tetralogy. The proceeds went to the Ali Forney Center. All of these readings were
performed over Zoom and broadcast live on YouTube. While all the readings were free, the
donations from watchers combined came out to $10,200.
They have also hosted several Q+A's and watchings of Puffs on their YouTube
and Instagram accounts.

Live action television series

On 25 January 2021, a live action television series was reported to have been in early
development at HBO Max. Though it was noted that the series has "complicated rights issues",
due to a seven-year rights deal with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution that included U.S.
broadcast, cable and streaming rights to the franchise, which ends in April 2025. [220]

Attractions
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Main article: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Hogwarts Castle as depicted in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, located in Universal Orlando Resort's
Island of Adventure

After the success of the films and books, Universal and Warner Brothers announced they would
create The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a new Harry Potter-themed expansion to the Islands
of Adventure theme park at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. The land officially opened to the
public on 18 June 2010.[221] It includes a re-creation of Hogsmeade and several rides. The
flagship attraction is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which exists within a re-creation
of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Other rides include Dragon Challenge, a pair
of inverted roller coasters, and Flight of the Hippogriff, a family roller coaster.
Four years later, on 8 July 2014, Universal opened a Harry Potter-themed area at the Universal
Studios Florida theme park. It includes a re-creation of Diagon Alley and connecting alleys and a
small section of Muggle London. The flagship attraction is Harry Potter and the Escape from
Gringotts roller coaster ride. Universal also added a completely functioning recreation of
the Hogwarts Express connecting Kings Cross Station at Universal Studios Florida to the
Hogsmeade station at Islands of Adventure. Both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley contain many
shops and restaurants from the book series, including Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and The
Leaky Cauldron.
On 15 July 2014, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at the Universal Studios
Japan theme park in Osaka, Japan. It includes the village of Hogsmeade, Harry Potter and the
Forbidden Journey ride, and Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster.[222][223]
On 7 April 2016, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at the Universal Studios
Hollywood theme park near Los Angeles, California.[224][225]

The Making of Harry Potter

Main article: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
In March 2011, Warner Bros. announced plans to build a tourist attraction in the United Kingdom
to showcase the Harry Potter film series. The Making of Harry Potter is a behind-the-scenes
walking tour featuring authentic sets, costumes and props from the film series. The attraction is
located at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, where all eight of the Harry Potter films were made.
Warner Bros. constructed two new sound stages to house and showcase the famous sets from
each of the British-made productions, following a £100 million investment.[226] It opened to the
public in March 2012.[227]