{"id":544179,"date":"2026-03-25T10:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T10:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/544179\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T10:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T10:43:11","slug":"hbo-boss-casey-bloys-says-harry-potter-set-has-serious-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/544179\/","title":{"rendered":"HBO Boss Casey Bloys Says ‘Harry Potter’ Set Has ‘Serious Security’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIt\u2019s been another crazy week for Casey Bloys<\/a>. On Monday, the HBO<\/a> and HBO Max<\/a> chief jetted into London to press the flesh in advance of the streaming platform finally launching in the U.K. His visit came just days after he was spotted having lunch with Netflix boss Ted Sarandos in Hollywood, instantly igniting rumors that Bloys may be eyeing the exit once Paramount completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe shadow of Paramount has inevitably also clouded what should have been a crowning moment for HBO Max as it finally arrives in the country where, as Bloys told Variety, so much of its content originates, from \u201cHarry Potter\u201d to \u201cHouse of the Dragon\u201d and the upcoming Richard Gadd series \u201cHalf Man\u201d (a BBC co-production). While HBO have moved forward with launching the streamer on Thursday as planned, including flying in talent and execs for a glitzy party on Wednesday night, the truth is no one knows how long HBO Max will continue in its current format given Paramount boss David Ellis\u2019s indication it will eventually merge with Paramount+.<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite all the drama, Bloys sat down with Variety to talk about HBO Max\u2019s content strategy in the U.K., what fans can expect from \u201cHarry Potter\u201d and whether he knows what\u2019s going to happen after his WBD contract runs out next year. <\/p>\n

\t\tWhen you spoke to Variety in 2023, not long after Discovery acquired Warner Bros., you mentioned that David Zaslav reached out to you almost immediately to tell you that HBO was big priority from him. In that vein, have you heard from David Ellison yet?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, absolutely, he\u2019s reached out. I\u2019ve had lunch with him. He also is a big fan of HBO, so obviously can\u2019t get too much into conversations. But it was a very, very nice lunch, and he had a lot of great things to say about not just HBO, but the entire team.<\/p>\n

\t\tYou also had lunch with Ted Sarandos last week\u2026\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI have lunch with lots of people.<\/p>\n

\t\tAre you going to stay at HBO post-acquisition?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThat is so far ahead of anything \u2014 because we are in the process \u2014 there are rules around what you can talk about, what you can\u2019t talk about. But I\u2019m going to go back to my lunch with David and the nice things he said about HBO and the team and all that. And you know, as we get closer to the close of transaction, we will be able to talk more about what does this look like, how will it work, that sort of thing. So I\u2019m looking forward to that. But unfortunately, I mean \u2014 it\u2019s actually legal \u2014 things you can and cannot discuss.<\/p>\n

\t\tDo you mean in terms of your future at the company?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI wasn\u2019t necessarily talking about my future. I was just talking about what a combined service would look like, you know, that sort of thing strategically, what he\u2019s thinking. He said publicly, and also to me, that HBO is a big priority for him, and he feels strongly about that. So again, nice early signs, but there\u2019s only so much we can talk about now.<\/p>\n

\t\tBut with your deal expiring next year are you thinking about the future at the moment?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNow do you really think I\u2019m going to answer that?<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Warrick Page\/HBO Max<\/p>\n

\t\tU.K. Originals\t<\/p>\n

\t\tTurning to the U.K., have you been planning more U.K. originals in advance of HBO Max launching here? I know you have \u201cYouth\u201d with Sharon Horgan coming up and \u201cHalf Man\u201d (although that will only be available on the BBC in the U.K.).\t<\/p>\n

\n\tIf you think about our slate, a lot of it is local original programming already. \u201cHarry Potter,\u201d \u201cA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,\u201d House of the Dragon.\u201d [We\u2019ve got] Sharon Horgan, we\u2019ve got co productions with Michaela Coel, George Kay, so I feel like I work with a lot of a lot of U.K. talent.<\/p>\n

\t\tIn terms of U.S. streamers in the U.K., Apple TV\u2019s creative director for international, Jay Hunt, has been particularly impressive in terms of \u201cglocal\u201d commissions. Do you envision having someone in a similar role here for HBO Max?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNo and like I said, if you look at what we\u2019ve done, at least in my time there at HBO, we\u2019ve had a lot of successful co-productions. So we know a lot of not just talent, but a lot of executives, had a lot of good experiences with many different broadcasters. So I don\u2019t anticipate needing someone in addition to that. You don\u2019t know what the future holds. But for right now, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessary.<\/p>\n

\t\tHBO has done a lot of co-productions with broadcasters in the U.K. where it takes the rights outside of the U.K. With HBO Max launching here, how is that going to work going forward?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWe haven\u2019t done one yet since launch. But given our history, I imagine it\u2019s something we\u2019d like to continue. It\u2019ll be a conversation, though, about what streaming rights look like now. Where before we didn\u2019t have to worry about it or think about it, now we will. I don\u2019t know what that looks like because we haven\u2019t dealt with it yet, but I\u2019d like to have the option to continue to do them when we find the right project or the right talent. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWarner Bros.<\/p>\n

\t\tHarry Potter\t<\/p>\n

\t\tIs there anything new you can tell me about the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d series?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t think I can other than I\u2019m thrilled with what I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat made you feel like the time was right to bring it back?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, there\u2019s no right number, but I do think it\u2019s hard sometimes for people to really \u2014 you know, they\u2019ll say, \u201cThe movies just came out!\u201d It started about 20 years ago!<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd what\u2019s nice is the books have obviously remained popular, but you now have parents who grew up on it and wanting to share that with [their] kids, and kids on their own wanting it so just from a from a business point of view, that\u2019s a big opportunity. From a creative point of view \u2014 I mean, look, I\u2019ve always worked in television, it\u2019s my preferred medium. One of the benefits of it, from my point of view, is spending more time with characters and story. And so if you\u2019ve got a book, let alone a series of books, to kind of arbitrarily say, \u201cWell, we\u2019ve got two hours\u201d you have to make some difficult decisions. So the idea is to have the freedom to let it breathe a little bit more and explore the world a bit more.<\/p>\n

\t\tHas the fact that actors are effectively signing up to it for 10 years made casting difficult?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNot really. I mean, I think anytime someone signs on to a TV project, the hope is it\u2019s gonna be [a] job for the next 10 years. I mean, that\u2019s a dream. So we didn\u2019t really have any issues with that. I think anybody who\u2019s willing to go up for a television show, it\u2019s possible they\u2019re signing up for a long-term gig. So it\u2019s something you have to think about. But we haven\u2019t seen many people say, \u201cWell, I don\u2019t want to do that, because it\u2019s going to be too long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tPaapa Essiedu, who is set to play Snape in the show, recently talked about some of the toxic and racist reactions to his casting, including death threats<\/a>. Did you anticipate that reaction?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWith all actors on any kind of big IP shows \u2014 and this is obviously one of those where you\u2019ve got, you know, passionate fans, people with a lot of opinions \u2014 it can get scary in places. So for any show like that, we anticipated it and tried to have training, you know, best practices in terms of social media and how to handle it. And obviously we\u2019ve got a serious security team. So unfortunately, it was something that we thought might happen and we just try to be as careful as we can.<\/p>\n

\t\tHave you cast Voldemort?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNo, we have not.<\/p>\n

\t\tBecause there\u2019s a lot of names in the mix. Tilda Swinton was one.\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAs a rule, I would say any rumors \u2013 don\u2019t [believe them]. I don\u2019t even know who we\u2019re casting.<\/p>\n

\t\tI\u2019m not sure I believe that\u2026\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI really don\u2019t! I would take everything you read with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO<\/p>\n

\t\tD.C. Universe\t<\/p>\n

\t\tThe proliferation of the DCU on HBO always felt like it moved at a slightly slower pace and volume than the MCU on Disney+. Was that a deliberate strategy?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was deliberate because I do it based on the script. More than anything else \u2014 forget about anybody, any plan or anything like that \u2014 you have to do it based script by script. Is it a good script? Do we think it\u2019s interesting creatively? Do we think it makes sense as a show? So for me, personally, I think anytime you lay out a thing dictating in advance how many shows you\u2019re going to have per year, it sets up an opportunity where you might compromise creatively. And so I think it\u2019s always better just start every project \u201cWhat do we think of what\u2019s in front of us here?\u201d versus, well, \u201cIf we don\u2019t have this one, we can\u2019t have that one.\u201d You\u2019ve got to start with what\u2019s in front of you.<\/p>\n

\t\tThere was a point where no one ever thought superhero fatigue would kick in and now it seems like it really has. Did you anticipate that?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI think, in retrospect, our approach creatively probably is the more prudent one. And I think one of the benefits also that we have at HBO \/ HBO Max \/ Warner Bros. Discovery, if you think about some of the shows, it\u2019s not just \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d It\u2019s funny, when \u201cA Knight of Seven Kingdoms\u201d comes out there\u2019s language around \u201canother \u2018Game of Thrones\u2019 spinoff.\u201d And I like to remind people, this is [only] the second one. <\/p>\n

\n\tAnd I think part of it is because a lot of what gets written about is development and some people will talk about development like it is actually [in production]. So I\u2019ve had to remind people, there\u2019s been \u201cHouse of the Dragon\u201d and \u201cA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms\u201d \u2014 and that\u2019s it, regardless of what else gets written about. We didn\u2019t do five \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d spinoffs because we\u2019ve got DC and we just did \u201cIt: Welcome to Derry\u201d and they\u2019re working on a second season. We\u2019ve got other places to go. We\u2019re developing a \u201cCrazy Rich Asians\u201d series. So we\u2019re not locked into just one world or one universe. But I think logically, if you think about it, if you overdo anything, if you give to people too much of anything, kind of by definition it becomes less special. So I think it\u2019s something you have to be careful about.<\/p>\n

\t\tIs there a chance that Colin Farrell will return for a second season of \u201cThe Penguin\u201d?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tColin is going to be in the [\u201cThe Batman: Part II\u201d] movie. He\u2019s got other movies going on. [..] I would say it\u2019s certainly complicated, but something everybody involved would like to figure out. I just don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat about Viola Davis\u2019 \u201cWaller\u201d spinoff \u2013 does it look like it might go into production?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tPut it this way, I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s on the runway. But \u201cLanterns\u201d is coming up this summer.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO<\/p>\n

\t\tOther HBO Shows\t<\/p>\n

\t\tHave you talked to Sam Levinsion about any \u201cEuphoria\u201d spinoffs?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNo, no no. He is so focused on Season 3 that we haven\u2019t gotten into what he wants to do next. So I will wait to hear from him, but we are deep in post. And the air date is, you know, we\u2019re weeks out, so he is really laser focused on getting the show completed.<\/p>\n

\t\tHas \u201cWhite Lotus\u201d Season 4 started shooting?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tHasn\u2019t started yet, but they are deep into prep. It\u2019s soon.<\/p>\n

\t\tDo you have anything else in the pipeline with \u201cSuccession\u201d creator Jesse Armstrong?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, we had his directorial debut in \u201cMountainhead,\u201d which was last year. And let\u2019s see, how would I categorize it? He\u2019s noodling. I think anytime you come off a big show. it\u2019s good for a creator to kind of take their time, maybe do other things. I\u2019m pretty confident that he will come to us when the time is right.<\/p>\n

\t\t\u201cSuccession\u201d was a show that a lot of people said it took them a couple of episodes to really get into. Some people think that particularly in the streaming age, where there is so much content, it\u2019s arrogant for creators and execs to expect audiences to invest that amount of time into a show before it \u201cgets good.\u201d What do you make of that?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve heard people talk about that before. One thing I\u2019ll say about \u201cSuccession\u201d \u2014 people say, \u201cOh, in Episode 4, it really kind of clicked,\u201d and I was like, \u201cNo, I believe it was there from the beginning. You just got the rhythm of it 1774435389. So it wasn\u2019t the show. It was you.\u201d But remember it used to take \u2014 we talked about seasons, like we talked about \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d in Season 3 is when it kind of clicked. <\/p>\n

\n\tSo I don\u2019t think it\u2019s arrogant. I think it\u2019s letting artists do their thing. But the marketplace is the marketplace, and there\u2019s a ton of new shows now, whereas before, you could stick around for Seasons 1, 2, see if it found its legs. I think it is a little crazy to think a show is going to be fully formed by, you know, whatever [early episode]. But you know, each show is different, too. Some come knowing exactly what it is. The beauty of television is you have the ability to evolve and change and turn into something.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis interview has been edited and condensed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been another crazy week for Casey Bloys. On Monday, the HBO and HBO Max chief jetted into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[96995,88,1035,1010],"class_list":{"0":"post-544179","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-casey-bloys","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-hbo","11":"tag-hbo-max"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/544180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}