Harry Potter (films)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harry Potter series | |
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| Written by | J.K. Rowling (novel works) |
| Starring | Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 2001 – 2010 |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
The Harry Potter film series is a series of fantasy films based on the best-selling series of novels by English author J. K. Rowling. They are one of the highest grossing film series of all time, with $3.5 billion grossed, although they still rank behind the James Bond (4.3 billion) and Star Wars (6 billion) series in worldwide grosses.
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[edit] Origins
In 1999, Rowling sold the film rights to the first four Harry Potter books to Warner Bros. for a reported £1 million ($1.9 million US, or ca. 1.4 million €). [1] Her major demand was that the principal cast be kept strictly British, though with the inclusion of many Irish actors such as the late Richard Harris, and the inclusion of French and Eastern European actors in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the cast is not entirely British. [2] Although Steven Spielberg was initially in negotiations to direct the first film, he would later decline. He wanted the movie to be an animated film, with Haley Joel Osment to do the voice of Harry Potter. For a while, it was speculated that this was due to Rowling's heavy involvement and Spielberg's dislike of an all-British cast. However, Spielberg contended that, in his opinion, it would be like "shooting ducks in a barrel... It's just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. There's no challenge."[3]
In the Rubbish Bin section of her website, Rowling maintains that she personally had no role in Spielberg's choice, saying, "Anyone who thinks I could (or would) have 'veto-ed' him needs their Quick-Quotes Quill serviced." [4]
[edit] Production
In the end, Chris Columbus directed the first two films, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Alfonso Cuarón directed the third, and Mike Newell directed the fourth. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is finished and was directed by David Yates.[5] Columbus also worked as producer on the first three films.
Rowling's first choice director was originally Terry Gilliam, but Columbus' involvement as screenwriter on the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes encouraged Warner Bros. to select him in preference. Reminiscent of the Harry Potter series, Young Sherlock Holmes includes three leads who bear a strong resemblance to the Harry, Ron and Hermione of Rowling's description (as does a character named Dudley to Draco Malfoy). They investigate a supernatural mystery in a Gothic boarding school, where staff include the Professor Flitwick-like Waxflatter, and sinister Rathe. Scenes from the film were used to cast the first Harry Potter film.[6]
In 2000, the virtually unknown British actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were selected from thousands of auditioning children to play the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively.[7] They have played their characters in the first five films, and on 23 March 2007, Warner Bros. confirmed that all three would return for the sixth and seventh.[8] Other notable Potter character portrayals include Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid, Alan Rickman's Severus Snape, Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy, Maggie Smith's Minerva McGonagall, and Richard Harris and Michael Gambon's Albus Dumbledore (Gambon took over for the third film following Harris's death in 2002). Each will reprise their characters for Order of the Phoenix, along with Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. [9]
The first four films were scripted by Steve Kloves with the direct assistance of Rowling, though she allowed Kloves what he described as "tremendous elbow room".[10] Thus the plot and tone of each film and its corresponding book are virtually the same with some changes and omissions for purposes of cinematic style and time constraints. Despite these changes, Rowling has characterised Kloves and his adaptations as being "faithful to the books."[11]
The fifth Harry Potter film, Order of the Phoenix is scheduled by Warner Bros. for release on Friday July 13, 2007, and the sixth, Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for November 21, 2008[12] and based on the release pattern, Deathly Hallows will most likely be released in summer 2010.
[edit] Footnotes and references
- ^ "WiGBPd About Harry", Australian Financial Review, 19 July 2000.
- ^ "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", Guardian Unlimited, November 16, 2001.
- ^ "For Spielberg, making a Harry Potter movie would have been no challenge", Hollywood.com, September 05, 2001.
- ^ Rowling, J.K.. Rubbish Bin: J K Rowling 'veto-ed Steven Spielberg. J.K. Rowling.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2006.
- ^ "David Yates to Direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for Warner Bros. Pictures", Time Warner, 2005-01-19.
- ^ IGN: Trouble Brewing with Potter Casting?. ign.com. Retrieved on July 1, 2006.
- ^ "Press Release: Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson Selected", Warner Brothers, August 21, 2000.
- ^ "Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson to Reprise Roles in the Final Two Installments of Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter Film Franchise", Warner Bros., 2007-03-23. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
- ^ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. IMDB.com.
- ^ "Mzimba, Lizo, moderator. Interview with Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling, February 2003.", Quick Quotes Quill, February 3, 2003.
- ^ "Mzimba, Lizo, moderator. Interview with Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling", Quick Quotes Quill, February 2003.
- ^ Confirmed: HBP movie release date. MuggleNet (2006-08-04). Retrieved on December 17, 2006.
[edit] See also
| J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosopher's Stone | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Chamber of Secrets | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Prisoner of Azkaban | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Goblet of Fire | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Order of the Phoenix | book | film | game | |
| Half-Blood Prince | book | film | ||
| Deathly Hallows | book | |||
| Other books | Other games | |||
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup | |||
| Quidditch Through the Ages | ||||
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Characters • Places • Spells • Translations • Quidditch Films • Fandom • Controversy • Money |
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