The Project That Must Not Be Named – otherwise known as the Harry Potter TV series – is near to closing a deal with HBO Max, Bloomberg reports. Despite a so-so Fantastic Beasts spin-off series and the author’s toxic politics, the long-rumoured television adaptation is on track to clear the biggest obstacle on its path to realisation: JK Rowling. The franchise creator has creative control over any exploitation of her work, so any adaptation or related project requires her sign-off.

Each season of the series would be based on one of Rowling’s seven main entries in the Harry Potter series, which could mean a series franchise that spans many years. Sources state that, as part of the HBO deal, it’s believed Rowling would have some level of involvement in the series “to ensure it remains loyal to her original material”, but would not be its primary creator or showrunner. Once the deal is closed, the cursed Harry Potter TV series is expected to start looking for a writer.

Since the original slate of movies starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, Warner Bros. has produced and distributed multiple spin-off films based on the Harry Potter world: 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and last year’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. In addition to its big-screen offerings, the franchise has spawned multiple other properties, including the stage production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the video game Hogwarts Legacy.