Max: Harry Potter Series, Big Bang Spin-Off & More

Among the new projects announced for HBO and its revamped streaming service Max are the Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight and an original Harry Potter scripted series.

The Harry Potter series will be a faithful adaptation of the books by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. The series will feature a new cast and be produced in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television.

Max is also currently developing a drama series based on the films in New Line Cinema’s The Conjuring franchise. The Conjuring producer Peter Safran will serve as an executive producer on the project, which is in development at Warner Bros. Television. Filmmaker James Wan is in talks to executive produce.

A Game of Thrones prequel series will be written and executive produced by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker. Ryan Condal and Vince Gerardis will also executive produce. Set a century before the events of Game of Thrones, it will feature two unlikely heroes who wandered Westeros: a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. It is set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory.

Max and executive producer Chuck Lorre are developing a new comedy series derived from The Big Bang Theory. The project is in the works at Warner Bros. Television, where Lorre is under an overall deal. Plot details are currently under wraps.

For kids and families, Max and Cartoon Network have greenlit an animated rendition of the classic tale Peter & the Wolf, featuring music and narration by Gavin Friday and artwork based on original illustrations by Bono. The special transforms Sergei Prokofiev’s symphony into an enchanting and contemporary visual masterpiece that touches on themes of growing up, loss, courage, transformation and our relationship with nature.

Meanwhile, Discovery Channel has greenlit Survive the Raft, a series that explores what happens when strangers from all walks of life come together to live and work at sea. The nine-episode social experiment was inspired by Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genovés’ 1973 behavioral study that observed whether humans from diverse cultures and backgrounds could set aside their differences and work together during a 101-day voyage on the Acali. Hosted by United States Army Green Beret, NFL football player and actor Nate Boyer, the series is slated to premiere in July on Discovery Channel and Max.