HBO's 'Harry Potter' Series and 'Ted Lasso' Season 4 Updates: MIPCOM

HBO's Harry Potter The series will be “a little more in-depth than a two-hour film,” confirmed the company’s head of television, Channing Dungey.

Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group, was a keynote speaker at MIPCOM's C-Suite Conversations, a partnership between MIPCOM Cannes and diversityon Monday afternoon. She runs the largest television studio in the world and currently produces content across all formats and genres, including hits like shrinkage, Abbott Elementary School, Ted Lasso – Season four, which show star, head writer and co-creator Jason Sudeikis is “really excited about” according to Dungey (more on that below) – The sex lives of college girls, Harley Quinn And The Bachelor.

But there is one project that no one can stop talking about, viz diversity Associate editor Cynthia Littleton admitted Monday: “I don't think I'm legally allowed to let you off the stage without asking,” she said. “What can you tell us about Harry Potter?” Project?”

Dungey replied: “There’s not much to discuss at the moment. We have a fantastic writing team who do what they need to do. And casting calls have opened in the UK and Ireland, so the process is moving forward. “It’s going quite well.”

Elaborating on the excitement of having an intellectual property like JK Rowling's Harry Potter books to play with, Dungey said: “Honestly it's an incredible dream and as someone who's a huge fan of books, the opportunity to explore it.” Maybe in a little more detail than you can in just a two-hour film, that's the whole reason we're on this journey.”

In June, the series named Francesca Gardiner as writer and showrunner and hired Mark Mylod to direct several episodes. Both are Emmy winners for HBO's Consequence – Gardiner as part of the show’s production team and Mylod as director and producer.

As the conversation turned Ted LassoWith viewers and even co-creators waiting for Sudeikis to officially greenlight another season, Dungey said, “We're in talks about season four and they're very exciting conversations, but it's early days.” But what I have to say that it was always clear to us that there would be no more (Ted Lasso), if Jason and the team weren't thrilled. I can tell you firsthand that he’s at a point where he’s feeling really excited and really good about it.”

In recent conversations with The Hollywood ReporterHis co-creators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein both reiterated that the ball is in Sudeikis's court, even if Apple TV+ is picking up options for some of the cast. “Jason Sudeikis is the character, but he is the voice of the show. He is the main author. …With 100 percent respect, the first time someone hears who's going to be involved, what someone's doing, what's happening, it's only because they're ready to talk about it. “So I will politely say that I must expect whatever the captain of the ship asks of me,” Lawrence said.

At MIPCOM, Dungey was also asked about the change Hollywood is currently going through and the fact that it's no longer just an industry of broadcasters, but much, much more – and that learning to adapt has never been like this was important to survive. “The company has actually been in such a transition period since the beginning of this decade,” Dungey said. “Because COVID has really shifted a lot of things into a different sphere and forced us to think about producing differently.

“There were economic challenges we had to overcome,” she admitted. “And then the two punches, right? It was non-stop. I think we’re all struggling with the fact that business has fundamentally changed.”