Cocaine is said to be in circulation on the set of the “Harry Potter” series. This is responded to with sniffer dogs and controls.
Drug alert for “Harry Potter”: A search is underway for illegal substances on the set of the new series. According to reports, sniffer dogs are said to be on duty between seven and eight a.m. because cocaine is allegedly circulating among set employees.
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Sniffer dogs on duty: employees arrive earlier
As “The Sun” reports, studio employees at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden near Watford, Herts, are said to be consuming significant amounts of cocaine. A source told the paper: “Some people snort drugs while we’re working and people are pretty annoyed about it.” That’s why dogs are used every morning to pull out employees who are trying to smuggle in drugs. Another insider claimed that some employees were now arriving on set early to avoid the drug-sniffing dogs.
According to The Sun, there is no evidence that any actors are involved in the drug scandal. Most of the actors in the new series, which begins with Harry Potter’s first year at the magic school Hogwarts at the age of eleven, are children.
“Long-established security protocols”
The studio made using the dogs seem routine. A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. Leavesden said: “As part of long-established safety protocols, everyone entering the studios is subject to regular safety and health checks, including the use of sniffer dogs.”
The company also has an employee assistance program for those struggling with addiction. Posters in the on-set toilets advertise support services for those who “need support with alcohol and drug problems”.
Remade as an HBO series
Warner is reissuing “Harry Potter” as an HBO series and producing a live-action adaptation that will again film all seven fantasy volumes with a new cast. Each season of the series is intended to depict a volume of JK Rowling’s original. It is planned to be implemented within a decade so that the young main actors do not age too quickly. Despite controversy, JK Rowling herself is involved behind the scenes as an executive producer.
Start date expected in 2027
Filming began in the summer of 2025. A filming time of ten to eleven months is scheduled for each season. Fans had initially hoped for a 2026 launch, but the release year was ultimately set at 2027. A specific date is still pending.
The series is scheduled to appear in the USA on HBO and on the streaming service HBO Max. It remains to be seen whether it will run in Germany like other HBO productions via Sky/WOW or another provider or whether HBO Max will launch in Germany by then.
Expensive production
Harry Potter is played by Dominic McLaughlin, Hermione Granger by Arabella Stanton and Ron Weasley by Alastair Stout. The production is expensive: the construction of a “mini city” near the Warner set alone, which was built specifically for the series, cost a billion pounds, the equivalent of over 1.15 billion euros. In addition to a school for the young cast, a new Privet Drive 4 is also to be built there.