16 September 2021
Helen Mirren to Host ‘Harry Potter’ Quiz Show for WarnerMedia
By Lesley Goldberg on September 15, 2021
‘Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses’ will air on Cartoon Network, TBS and then HBO Max to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film in the franchise.
Helen Mirren is diving head first into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The Oscar-winning actress has been tapped to host four-part competition series Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses for WarnerMedia. The previously announced series, which marks the 20th anniversary of the first film in the Harry Potter franchise, will air first on Cartoon Network and TBS before making its debut on HBO Max at a date to be determined.
“I knew someday I’d get a Harry Potter role, and I’m so pleased to take part in the 20-year film celebration,” Mirren said. “The films inspired such enchantment and wonder for so many of us, and it will be such a treat to reignite that magic for the countless fans who continue to revel in this spellbinding world.”
The quiz show was first announced in May as part of WarnerMedia’s plans to mark the anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, joining a retrospective special. The four-part series pits Wizarding World fans against one another in a battle to be crowned House Cup champion. Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, in association with Warner Horizon and Robin Ashbrook and Yasmin Shackleton of theoldschool, are behind the series.
“We’re creating an arena for the leagues of Harry Potter film fans to flex their knowledge of the Wizarding World, and there’s no one better than Dame Helen Mirren to add some British grandeur to this event that will debut across our WarnerMedia brands and platforms,” said Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics. The former Freeform exec also works directly with Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s camp on all things related to the franchise for WarnerMedia.
The quiz show arrives months after THR exclusively reported that HBO Max was in the early stages of readying a live-action scripted series based on the boy wizard and his friends. Sources at the time noted the WarnerMedia-backed streamer engaged in multiple conversations with potential writers exploring various ideas that would bring the beloved Harry Potter property to television. Sources say broad ideas have been discussed as part of the early-stage exploratory meetings. While it’s news that executives at HBO Max and Warners are engaged in meetings to find a writer and pitch for a Harry Potter TV series, no writers or talent are currently attached as the conversations are still in the extremely early stages and no deals have been made. Warners at the time denied that any Harry Potter series were in the works.