Oscar Winner Hans Zimmer to compose score for Harry Potter Series
The Wizarding World has announced a monumental addition to the creative team behind the upcoming HBO Original Harry Potter series: two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and his Emmy Award-winning collective, Bleeding Fingers Music, will compose the new score . This collaboration signals a bold, cinematic direction for the highly anticipated television adaptation, which is set to debut in 2027.
A new era of magical sound
Hans Zimmer, the musical maestro whose work has defined modern cinema, is set to play a pivotal role in shaping the sonic landscape of the new Harry Potter series. Known for his powerful, often electronically-infused orchestral scores for films such as Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, and Dune, Zimmer brings a reputation for innovation and grandeur . His involvement immediately sets a high bar for the series’ musical ambition, promising a score that will be both respectful of the franchise’s legacy and distinctively modern.
Zimmer will be working alongside composers Kara Talve and Anže Rozman, both key members of the Bleeding Fingers Music collective. Bleeding Fingers, co-founded by Zimmer, Russell Emanuel, and Steven Kofsky, operates on the principle that collaboration is the catalyst for extraordinary music . The collective is renowned for its work on major nature documentaries, including Planet Earth II and Seven Worlds, One Planet, demonstrating an ability to craft evocative and expansive soundscapes.
The composers reflected on the significance of joining the project:
“The musical legacy of Harry Potter is a touch point for composers everywhere and we are humbled to join such a remarkable team on a project of this magnitude. The responsibility is something that myself, Kara Talve and Anže Rozman do not take lightly. Magic is all around us, often just beyond reach, but as in the world of Harry Potter, you simply must look for it. With this score we hope to bring audiences that little bit closer to it whilst honouring what has come before.”
Honoring the legacy of John Williams
The original Harry Potter film series established one of the most iconic musical identities in cinematic history, primarily through the work of John Williams, whose Hedwig’s Theme remains synonymous with the Wizarding World. Subsequent films featured scores by talented composers such as Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper, and Alexandre Desplat, each adding their own texture to the saga.
Zimmer and the Bleeding Fingers team face the unique challenge of creating a new score that can stand alongside this established legacy. Their commitment to “honouring what has come before” suggests that while the score will be new, it may subtly weave in the emotional resonance of the original themes, adapting them for the episodic format of the HBO series. The choice of composers known for their dramatic, textural work hints at a score that will deepen the emotional and psychological complexity of the story, aligning with the darker themes that emerge in the later books.
Harry Potter series details
The HBO Harry Potter series is set to be a faithful adaptation of the beloved books, with each season dedicated to one volume of the saga. The series is written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod executive producing and directing multiple episodes. J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films are also serving as executive producers.
The series is scheduled to debut in 2027 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The addition of Hans Zimmer and Bleeding Fingers Music to this already stellar team confirms the immense scale and quality ambition of the production, promising a musical journey as magical and memorable as the story itself.