EXCLUSIVE: From the terrifying Basilisk serpent to the majestic hippogriff Buckbeak, VFX giant Framestore brought to life many of J.K. Rowling’s magical creatures in the Harry Potter films.
Now Deadline hears the British company is in talks to return to the world of Hogwarts as Warner Bros. Discovery steps up preparations for HBO‘s TV adaptation of Rowling’s books.
A source said Warner Bros. Discovery is also speaking to other visual effects companies, but Framestore is understood to be in pole position to clinch a contract. A deal is not yet done. Warner Bros. Discovery and Framestore declined to comment.
Framestore, which has won Oscars for work on Blade Runner 2049 and Gravity, provided visual effects for all eight of the Harry Potter movies between 2000 and 2011.
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Buckbeak was one of the company’s most memorable creations, with a 90-strong team working for 15 months to deliver more than 80 hippogriff shots for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Framestore also recreated Dobby the House Elf (voiced by Toby Jones) for the Deathly Hallows.
Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, told Deadline in September that the Harry Potter series will premiere in late 2026 or early 2027, though his most recent comments suggest it will be the latter.
HBO has not announced when production will get underway, though it is widely expected to be next year. The network is exploring shooting two seasons back-to-back to avoid dramatic changes in the cast’s appearances between seasons as they transition from children to teenagers.
Founded in 1986, Framestore is one of the UK’s biggest VFX companies, boasting revenues of £666M ($842M) last year. The company employs around 6,000 people.