Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows Movie Discussion #2

**L i N d $ @ y** · 11-22-2008, 03:30 AM

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Now that we have some concrete film news we can now start a thread dedicated to the film.

Please try to keep the discussion on topic.

Warner Bros. Plans Two-Part Film Adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” to Be Directed by David Yates

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BURBANK, Calif.-Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that the screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be released in two parts. The announcement was made by Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

Robinov also announced that director David Yates, who earlier helmed the 2007 summer blockbuster “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and is currently in production on “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” will direct “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” This marks the first time any one director will helm more than two releases in the Harry Potter film franchise.

In addition, David Heyman, who first brought the project to Warner Bros. in 1997, will be completing the film franchise as the producer of all of the Harry Potter films. David Barron will also continue as producer. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” will be adapted by screenwriter Steve Kloves.

In making the announcement, Robinov stated, “It has been an honor for our studio to be entrusted with bringing J.K. Rowling’s extraordinary book series to the screen, and we have always felt a great responsibility to be true to her vision. In concluding the film franchise, we recognized that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is packed with vital plot points that complete the story arcs of all of its beloved characters. That said, we feel that the best way to do the book, and its many fans, justice is to expand the screen adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and release the film in two parts. We could not imagine the final chapter of the film franchise being in better hands than those of David Yates.”

“This is a very special moment for us, as it is the final episode in the great journey that J.K. Rowling undertook more than a decade ago,” said Alan Horn, President and COO, Warner Bros. Entertainment. “It has been a journey for all of us at Warner Bros. as well, and we are confident that our filmmakers will finish our series of films as a fitting complement to Jo’s completion of Harry’s story on the page.”

“Over ten years ago, we made a commitment to Jo Rowling that, above all else, we would be faithful and true to the spirit of her books, and ever since we have endeavored never to compromise on the creative ambitions of the films. The Deathly Hallows is so rich, the story so dense and there is so much that is resolved that after discussing it with Jo, we came to the conclusion that two parts were needed to do it justice” said David Heyman. “I am thrilled that David Yates is returning to direct ‘The Deathly Hallows.’ He is both inspired and inspiring and is a passionate fan of the remarkable world and characters Jo has created. I know he will lead our incomparable cast and crew—most of whom have been with us since the very beginning—in bringing the series to the unforgettable conclusion it deserves.”

Director David Yates remarked, “I’ve had great pleasure working with a tremendous cast and crew thus far, on both ‘the Order of the Phoenix’ and ‘the Half-Blood Prince.’ It’s a wonderful world to work in and be part of and to create within, and I consider it a great privilege to continue to bring Jo’s extraordinary world to the screen, and to be the director to complete this epic and exhilarating journey.”

Part one of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” will open Holiday 2010, with part two to be released in quick succession in Summer 2011. Both parts will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

From the LA Times

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For "Harry Potter" and Hollywood, eight is the magic number.

Warner Bros. Pictures and the producers behind the $4.5-billion film franchise featuring the beloved boy wizard will split the seventh and final novel in the J.K. Rowling series into two films.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" will hit theaters in November 2010, followed by "Part II" in May 2011, a decision that is being met around the world with fans' cheers but also plenty of cynical smirks. The publishing industry is learning to live without new "Potter" releases, but Hollywood just pulled off a trick that will keep its profitable hero on his broom into the next decade.

Any twist in the "Potter" universe is the stuff of global news bulletins. The books were a publishing sensation. And to an entire generation, the film saga has become a heartfelt touchstone on the level of "The Wizard of Oz" and as culturally and commercially ubiquitous as the "Star Wars" series. For all those reasons, everyone involved in the franchise is jumping forward to say an eighth film would be to serve the story, not the bottom line.

Daniel Radcliffe, the star of the franchise, said it was the dense action of the final novel that made the decision, not any executive or ledger.

"I think it's the only way you can do it, without cutting out a huge portion of the book," Radcliffe said. "There have been compartmentalized subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut -- although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans -- but the seventh book doesn't really have any subplots. It's one driving, pounding story from the word go."

The same could be said about the relentless "Potter" franchise, which hit screens for the first time in 2001. The five "Potter" films to date have averaged $282 million in U.S. grosses, but the overall receipts go well beyond that. The faces of the stars stare out from DVDs, video games, tie-in books, toys, clothing, candy wrappers and a staggering array of other items. By some estimates, the brand represents a $20-billion enterprise, and that's without the planned "Potter"-themed complex opening next year at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.

Extending the "Potter" franchise is a boon to the studio and to its parent, media giant Time Warner, where recently named Chief Executive Jeffrey Bewkes is reining in costs with moves such as the recent gutting of New Line Cinema. Time Warner's stock price has stagnated since its merger with America Online eight years ago.

Right now, Radcliffe and his costars are filming the sixth installment in the franchise, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," at an old aircraft factory outside London. "It's been brilliant," Radcliffe said of the production. "It's also, I think, the funniest of the films so far."

Radcliffe is now 18 and, by the final film, will have spent half of his life in the role of the scarred orphan who finds friendship and danger within the stone corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each film (following the construct of the novels) has been framed by a school year. Producer David Heyman, a key figure in the films from Day One, was reluctant to depart from that and make the last book into two movies.

"Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book," Heyman said. "You can remove scenes of Ron playing Quidditch from the fifth book, and you can remove Hermione and S.P.E.W. [Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare] and those subplots . . . but with the seventh, that can't be done."

Rowling, who signed off on the idea of a two-part finale, has been a more frequent visitor to the sixth movie's set than with previous installments. One big reason is that she is no longer busy trying to finish the "next" "Potter" book; she walked away from her signature character in July, when the climactic "Deathly Hallows" hit stores and sold a record 11 million copies in its first 24 hours on shelves.

Alan Horn, president and chief operating officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment, will be in Las Vegas today to talk up the "Potter" plans at ShoWest, a key annual conference of movie exhibitors. Horn said Wednesday that "it would have been a disservice" to downsize "Deathly Hallows" into one film.

"This way, we have an extra hour and a half, at least, to celebrate what this franchise has been and do justice to all the words and ideas that Jo has put in the amazing story," Horn said. "This is the end of the story too. We want to celebrate it. We want to give a full meal."

David Yates, director of the fifth and sixth films, will return and make the final two films concurrently. Screenwriter Steve Kloves also returns, and, by the completion of the franchise, he will have written seven of the eight films.

They will be adapting a seventh book with 759 pages packed with action and twists and turns in the race toward the final conflict between Potter and the dark lord who murdered his parents, the serpentine Lord Voldemort. Reviewing last summer for The Times, Mary McNamara wrote: "What Rowling has achieved in this book and the series can be described only as astonishing. Just as her characters have matured, the language and tone of the books have grown in sophistication and lyricism. But she has never lost the sense of wonder that has propelled her into literary legend."

After the dust settles, the book ends with an epilogue that finds the main characters -- Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley -- grown up, married and 19 years removed from Hogwarts. Horn said that particular denouement has the filmmakers fretting about how to keep the young familiar stars on the screen just before it goes dark.

"That," Horn said, "is something we will need to deal with. People have watched these kids grow up, and it's been very special to do so. That's important to us."

Heyman said splitting "Deathly Hallows" is the right narrative formula, but the next problem is figuring out the division. As he put it: "The question will be, where do you break it? And how do you make them one but two separate and distinct stories? Do you break it with a moment of suspense or one of resolution?"

Horn said that screenwriter Kloves has already latched on to an approach that might work. Rowling could not be reached for comment, but the most recent entry on her website journal declared that "Hallows" stands as her favorite among the novels -- and that saying goodbye to Harry is never easy.

"It was the ending I had planned for 17 years, and there was more satisfaction than you can probably imagine in finally sharing it with my readers," Rowling wrote. "As for mourning Harry -- and I doubt I will be believed when I say this -- nobody can have felt the end as deeply as I did."

continue on with the DH movie talk.

**baileycat** · 11-22-2008, 06:16 AM

Thanks Linds.

Kgose · 11-26-2008, 12:34 PM

From the last thread:

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So what if they end it right when the Death Eaters come to the Lovegood house and it looks like they've been caught. Right before the explosion. They've just figured out that Luna's dad was stalling them and now they're trapped. Or so it seems. That's pretty suspenseful for me. It's a cliff hanger but at least we know the trio are back together and working as a team again.

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I know. That's what I mean. It will get to annoying.

It seems like they have a lot of options on where to end actually. A part of me would absolutely love it if they ended right at the beginning of the battle of Hogwarts. Like when Harry gets caught in The Ravenclaw common room. So now you know that the DE's know where he is, and you get all this screen time devoted to the battle (which may just zip by otherwise), and then all of Snape's memories and DD's conversation and Harry's death and even the aftermath of the battle. Very unrealistic I know but I'd love for the battle to get a huge chunk of the movie And for the elder plot stuff and Horcrux stuff to be properly explained.

I love these two ideas about how the first movie should end/second movie should start. Though I like idea in the second quote more. For the fact it would be great if the final battle is really focused on. Pretty much the same as the quote above mentions.

KJJ1588 · 12-25-2008, 11:43 AM

Thanks Linds!

Anyway, I wish Ennio Morricone would score for this. But he hasn't done a film in years.

YouTube - Ennio Morricone - Once Upon A Time In America - Soundtrack

**L i N d $ @ y** · 12-27-2008, 07:51 AM

not familiar to me...and so is the film.

KJJ1588 · 12-27-2008, 09:08 PM

It's pretty isn't it?

It's a beautiful film. I highly reccomend it, but some scenes are hard to watch. It's one of the best gangster films ever made. I have it up there with The Godfather Parts I and II, Goodfellas and The Departed, with some Jimmy Cagney classics, but this film is actually on equal grounds with The Godfather IMO. It stars Robert De Niro and James Woods. Very long though, 3 hrs and 49 minutes. But it's beautifully edited. It's directed by Sergio Leone who did Dollars films and The Good the Bad and the Ugly with Clint Eastwood, and Once Upon a Time in the West.

Anyway, Ennio Morricone has worked with Leone on all his films and wrote some astonishingly beautiful music. It's my dream to have him score for DH.

And I'd like to see Janusz Kaminiski be the DOP. He has worked with every Spielberg film since Schindler's List, and he did a beautiful job with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He also did a smashing job with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

This is what I love about WB. They get first pick on the best.

**baileycat** · 01-01-2009, 03:43 PM

This was posted only yesterday at MTV.com, a quote from Emma about the DH split and where it might be.

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“I don’t know,” she replied. “I am as intrigued as you are. I am waiting at the moment to receive the script. It’s a tough call. I’m sure it will be some cruel cliffhanger.”

MTV Movies Blog ‘Harry Potter’ Star Emma Watson ‘Intrigued’ Over ‘Deathly Hallows’ Split

Interesting that even she hasn't received the script yet. Less than 2 months away from the commence of filming.

**Ellipsis** · 01-02-2009, 12:44 AM

I'm really hoping it's Ron's return..

.

**Sternbetrachter** · 01-02-2009, 06:49 AM

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Interesting that even she hasn't received the script yet. Less than 2 months away from the commence of filming.

great

now I'm starting to think that filming will start later

thanks for the link

**baileycat** · 01-02-2009, 07:33 AM

I wouldn't worry about that, Trude.

**L i N d $ @ y** · 01-02-2009, 08:45 AM

i still think that they'll proceed filming for DH right on schedule. its just interesting that Emma hasn't gotten her script yet.

**baileycat** · 01-03-2009, 10:27 AM

More from Emma Thompson about her NOT doing DH.

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Emma Thompson, who played Professor Sybil Trelawney in Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix, has spoken again about her decision not to return for the final film. The sequel to Thompson's Nanny McPhee movie was due to be shot at the same time as Deathly Hallows.

"I wasn't being rude at all," says Thompson, who adds that she loves Sybil. "It's so typical, where they take something very, very small and turn it into a big deal. I was never going to be in the next 'Harry Potter.' I sort of put that to bed."

So there we have it. Sybil Trelawney was never written into the DH script.

source ~ mugglenet

**Sternbetrachter** · 01-03-2009, 10:33 AM

thanks for this

KJJ1588 · 01-03-2009, 11:01 AM

Isn't shooting suppose to begin next month?

**baileycat** · 01-03-2009, 11:02 AM

February 15th, yeah. That's when Dan starts back.