The Times reports today that

The Times reports today that the second movie “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” will be released on Friday, November 15, 2002. “Warner Brothers has given an early warning to ward off new releases from rival film companies. However, the third Potter film, planned for a 2003 release, may now be delayed a year to allow Warner Brothers to release two sequels to the action film The Matrix during that year.”

Comment: A 2004 release of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” would either mean the release will be held back or at least parts of the main young cast need to be replaced. Rupert Grint, for example, will be age 16 in 2004 and it is very unlikely that he will be able to portray a 14-year-old Ron Weasley in a 2005 shooting of “Goblet of Fire”. We are trying to get a comment from Warner Bros., stay tuned.