LOS ANGELES, June 26 (Reuters) - HBO announced on

Wednesday that its upcoming "Harry Potter" television series

will be led by "Succession" veterans Francesca Gardiner, as

writer and showrunner, and Mark Mylod, as director of several

episodes.

Both Gardiner and Mylod worked on the HBO series

"Succession" about a dysfunctional family that runs a media

empire, which won 19 Emmys. Gardiner was on the producing team

and Mylod served as director and producer.

Gardiner is also known for her work on the HBO fantasy show

"His Dark Materials" while Mylod directed episodes of "Game of

Thrones" and the upcoming second season of "The Last of Us."

HBO describes the "Harry Potter" series, which has not yet

been officially titled, as "a faithful adaptation of the beloved

'Harry Potter' book series by author and executive producer J.K.

Rowling."

British author Rowling said on X on Wednesday that she had

high hopes for the series.

"I'm truly thrilled to announce our director and writer,

both of whom I interviewed as part of the production team,"

Rowling said.

"Both have a genuine passion for #HarryPotter, and having

read Francesca's pilot script and heard Mark's vision, I'm

certain the TV show will more than live up to expectations," she

added.

HBO said "each season will bring 'Harry Potter' and these

incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while

the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the

core of the franchise and available to watch globally."

Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) announced it was making the

new series about the boy wizard last year as part of its plans

for its Max streaming service, which combines HBO Max with

unscripted programming from Discovery.

The seven Harry Potter books have sold more than 600 million

copies worldwide. They were adapted into blockbuster movies

starring Daniel Radcliffe that grossed $7.7 billion globally

from 2001 to 2011.