Most ‘Harry Potter’ fans had already resigned themselves to never seeing a new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books on screen. However, HBO Max arrived to end that long wait, and the series is now facing crucial months before its premiere. But production has been forced to pause due to an issue unrelated to the shoot.
According to several British media outlets, since filming began, numerous objects used in the recordings have started to disappear. Sources close to the HBO Max series indicate that thieves have taken wands, pumpkins, books and spell documents, fake food, and even details from the broomsticks.
The ‘magical’ thieves: props vanish from ‘Harry Potter’ set
The confusion during filming has become so severe that HBO Max has decided to put an end to these incidents with a firm measure. The most striking step is that they have installed microchips in every single prop item. This way, each day they can track where everything is and ‘call roll’ whenever deemed necessary.
At this point, one might wonder what the thieves would do with all the stolen objects. Well, just imagine what would happen if a crew member had taken material from any of Warner Bros.’ movies. By selling it, they could have earned thousands of euros as collector’s items.
For now, HBO Max prefers not to point fingers at the culprits, but they have made it clear that if a crew member is caught stealing, they will be immediately expelled from the series. This incident has not affected the premiere of the show, which is scheduled for December 25, 2026 on HBO and HBO Max.