Special Programming Celebrating 20th Anniversary of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
(Burbank, CA) – WarnerMedia Kids & Family will celebrate the 20th anniversary later this year of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film with two new unscripted Wizarding World specials – a limited Harry Potter fan quiz competition series and a dedicated retrospective special. This magical unscripted game show and retrospective will help to find some of the biggest self-proclaimed fans to celebrate and test their Wizarding World knowledge. Produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, the limited series will include four one-hour quiz challenges followed by the film retrospective, all set to premiere on HBO Max, Cartoon Network, and TBS in the U.S. later this year.
Nearly two decades since the global critical and commercial film success of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, these new specials will continue the whimsical spirit of the Wizarding World and feature hundreds of trivia questions and special guest surprises to discover which fans know the vast, intricately detailed universe like the back of their hand. For those who demonstrate bravery similar to that of Godric Gryffindor and are looking to assess their Harry Potter expertise on camera, casting is now underway in the U.S. Fans can visit wizardingworld.com to learn more about the show.
“To celebrate the dedicated fans old and new who have passionately kept the Wizarding World magic alive in so many forms for decades, these exciting specials will celebrate their Harry Potter fandom in a must-see multiplatform TV event,” said Tom Ascheim, President, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics. “All Potter fans can gear up for this ultimate one-of-a-kind celebration by embracing their inner Hermione Granger and studying their Wizarding World knowledge. For fans who have always wanted to discover what it might be like to take the O.W.L. exams, this is as close as they are going to get!"
A play-along component will allow viewers to don their own Hogwarts robes and swish and flick their wands from home. Robin Ashbrook and Yasmin Shackleton of theoldschool will produce the four Wizarding World one-hour quiz competition shows. Casey Patterson of Casey Patterson Entertainment (A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote and VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World) will executive produce the anniversary retrospective special.
About Wizarding World
More than two decades ago, a young Harry Potter was whisked onto Platform 9 3⁄4 at King’s Cross Station, and readers everywhere were swept along with him into a magical universe, created by J.K. Rowling. In the years since, the seven Harry Potter bestsellers have inspired eight blockbuster movies, an award-winning stage play, and, more recently, the Fantastic Beasts film series.
For today’s growing worldwide fan community, and for generations to come, the Wizarding World welcomes everyone to explore more of this magical universe — past, present, and future. The Wizarding World also provides fans with an instant, trusted kite-mark of quality and authenticity.
The Harry Potter New York flagship store will be part of an expanding portfolio of Warner Bros. owned Wizarding World experiences that include Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo, and the Platform 9 3⁄4 retail shops.
About HBO Max
HBO Max® is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering, with 10,000 hours of curated premium content. HBO Max offers best in class quality entertainment, featuring the greatest array of storytelling for all audiences with the iconic brands of HBO, Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and much more. hbomax.com
About Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is the central Kids & Family brand within WarnerMedia and the #1 global animated series network. Combined with a rich legacy of characters and a deep roster of creatives with unique brands of storytelling, Cartoon Network showcases original content from across Cartoon Network Studios, Warner Bros. Animation and beyond that includes such hits as Ben 10, Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, Teen Titans Go! and more. Under its Redraw Your World tagline, Cartoon Network’s expansive content commitment appeals to the complete spectrum of kids and families including preschoolers, all kids ages 6-11, and family co-viewing. Upcoming new series such as Gremlins, Jade Armor, Total Drama Island, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, as well as a live-action slate are set to comprise an inclusive Kids & Family programming lineup on Cartoon Network and HBO Max offering more than 300 hours of original content. Seen in more than 185 countries and in 33 languages, Cartoon Network’s historic library can also be streamed on HBO Max.
About TBS
TBS, a WarnerMedia brand, is a top-rated destination for television among young adults and known for escapist, lean-back entertainment, featuring smart, imaginative stories with heart and comedic edge. From scripted comedy series to late-night shows, game shows, and animated programming, TBS’ Originals slate is comprised of some of the most popular shows on cable — “Miracle Workers,” “CONAN,” “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” “The Last O.G.” and “American Dad!,” as well as the upcoming comedy “Chad.” The network’s slate of premium unscripted series includes the popular game show “The Misery Index,” upcoming reality-competition series “Go-Big Show” and “The Cube” and the revival of fan-favorite “Wipeout.” TBS’ lineup also includes comedy hits like “Family Guy” and “The Big Bang Theory,” classic sitcom favorites “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” blockbuster movies, and live event coverage of Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and “ELEAGUE,” WarnerMedia's eSports gaming competition. Viewers can watch shows on the TBS app, available for iOS, Android, Xbox One and other platforms and devices. tbs.com
About WarnerMedia Studios and Network Group
WarnerMedia’s Studios and Network Group unites all of the company’s content-focused teams, including the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, HBO and HBO Max, the Warner Bros. Television Group, DC, kids/young adults/classics (Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, TCM, Cartoon Network Studios, WB Animation), TBS, TNT, TruTV, Wizarding World, consumer products and gaming, to work together across titles, brands and franchises. The Studios and Networks Group represents an unmatched collection of world-class brands and content creators.
About Warner Bros. Unscripted Television
Warner Bros. Unscripted Television is the leading producer of unscripted television in America with over 50 series totaling some 2,500 hours of programming annually across broadcast, cable, streaming, digital, and first-run syndication, as well as high-end documentaries. Led by Mike Darnell, President, the division produces major franchises that include the long-running, powerhouse franchise of “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” and “Bachelor in Paradise”; multiple Emmy-winning “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the primetime hit “Ellen’s Game of Games”; the multi-Emmy-winning blockbuster “The Voice”; the Fox hit “The Masked Dancer”; the Emmy-winning “Who Do You Think You Are?” returning to NBC; “The Real Housewives of New York”; “The Bradshaw Bunch”; “Extra”; and “The Real”; plus, the Greg Berlanti produced signature documentaries “Helter Skelter” for EPIX and “Equal” for HBO Max, among others. The unscripted unit also recently announced “The Wheel”, BBC’s number 1 game show launch in over a decade, coming to NBC; the upcoming hybrid alternative-scripted series “True Story” with Ed Helms and Randall Park; “Ellen’s Next Great Designer” for HBO Max; the Ava DuVernay produced “Home Sweet Home” coming to NBC; and the highly anticipated “Friends” reunion coming to HBO Max.
About theoldschool
An unscripted content studio committed to creating and executing formats to premium platforms around the world. With offices in Los Angeles and London, the venture is led by television veteran Robin Ashbrook, executive producer and showrunner of award-winning series "MasterChef," "MasterChef Junior" for FOX and "Little Big Shots" for NBC. Recent productions from theoldschool have included competition formats "The Final Table" and "Next In Fashion" for Netflix, along with a quiz format "The Disney Files" for Disney+.
About Casey Patterson Entertainment
Casey Patterson is a critically acclaimed four-time Emmy® and two-time PGA Award nominated executive producer with an extensive career spanning across a wide array of groundbreaking programming. Casey is the head of Casey Patterson Entertainment, a full-service production company producing premium content, live events, and talent-driven series and specials with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. She most recently served as lead executive producer of the highly publicized Global Citizen “VAX Live” event that aired on ABC, CBS, FOX, YouTubeand iHeartMedia Global Broadcast on Saturday, May 8th 2021. Her other high-profile projects and events include the breakout hit-series Lip Sync Battle, Nickelodeon’s Lip Sync Battle Shorties, Netflix’s A Very Murray Christmas, A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, Rock the Troops with Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, Time and Punishment: A Town Hall Discussion With Jay Z, MTV Movie & TV Awards, Alec Baldwin: One Night Only, Taraji’s White Hot Holidays on Fox, The Comedy Awards on Comedy Central, Lip Sync Battle LIVE: A Michael Jackson Celebration, Guys Choice, The Concert for New York City, The Concert of the Century at the White House, Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary Special, Between Two Ferns – A Fairy Tale of New York, SCREAM Awards, VH1’s Vogue Fashion Awards, VH1’s Divas Live, and NBC’s Concert for America. For more information check out - caseypattersonent.com
Media Contact:
Jean Yoo
WarnerMedia Kids & Family
Jean.Yoo@warnermedia.com