Two-Part Final Harry Potter Film
"HP and the Deathly Hallows" Will Be Released as Two Movies
Mar 13, 2008
On March 12, 2008, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the extremely popular Harry Potter film series will not stop after the seventh movie – even though J.K. Rowling's wildly popular book series ended in 2007 with the seventh volume, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Instead, Warner Brothers will issue the final book as two separate films; part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will open over the holiday season of 2010, with part two to be released soon afterwards in the summer of 2011.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be adapted by screenwriter Steve Kloves and directed by David Yates.Yates previously directed the fifth installment in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and is currently directing number six, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He is the only director ever to have worked on more than one film in the series.
Box Office Magic
It’s no great surprise that the studio will be sorry to say goodbye to the franchise; possibly even sorrier than the world’s legions of Potter fans. Three of the five previously released Potter films rank among the top 10 all-time worldwide box office leaders, according to figures given by IMDB.com. These include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in fourth place, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (sixth) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (tenth). The other two are not far behind; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets holds the very respectable 13th place, with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at 21.
Half-Blood Prince Set For 2009 Release
Meanwhile, the sixth film installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is set for North American release on July 17, 2009 (moved back from a fall 2008 release). The now-familiar roster of cast members has been signed to return; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, David Thewlis as Lupin, Natalia Tena as Tonks, Alan Rickman as Snape and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange.
Newcomers to the series include Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown, Hero Fiennes Tiffin as the 11-year old Voldemort (AKA Tom Riddle) and Frank Dillane as the teenage version of the Dark Lord. Some other characters that have not been introduced in the films prior to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince are rumoured to have been cast, but not confirmed. These include Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell and Dave Legeno as the werewolf Fenrir Greyback.
Now fans know that – no matter which characters may die at the end of the sixth movie – the series will live on for at least another two films.
Pictured: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". Photo by Jaap Buitendijk
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