Harry Potter producers David Heyman and David Barron have given a new interview with the Daily Telegraph, where they discuss the film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In regards to the earlier rumors of splitting the final book into two films, David Barron again confirms this is a possibility, saying this is still under discussion and states:
"The only negative of splitting the book into two films, says Barron, "is that people could possibly perceive it as being one last chance at cashing in. But the real positive, if we were to do that, would be that we wouldn't have quite the battle we always have of 'How do you compress all that book into just over two hours of screen time?' It would be brilliant not to have to cut anything. But at the same time, we have to think it through properly. We'd have to be very certain that there were two proper, stand-alone films that could be generated from the source material."
David Heyman continues on to note that filming for "Deathly Hallows" will not start until a year from now, saying "We won't start filming 'til February next year. So it hasn't really gone bananas yet. We've got thoughts, and I'm sure something will be announced in the not-too-distant future."
As to who will take on the pivotal role as director for the final movie, both producers say a few directors are still under consideration, and announcements about this and the status of the film will be made shortly. David Heyman emphasises "A couple of people have expressed interest, people have gotten a few calls and a few emails, but it's still a year away."
Meanwhile production continues through May on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which is due in theaters November 21, 2008.
So they are still considering doing it in two movies. That’s intresting. I wonder what they’re going to do. I thought they would have wanted t for two films, because of the money, etc. I wonder where they would split it…
PLEASE let them do two movies. It’s so nice that they’re considering it and I think it would be an insult to the series to not make the last and most important movie all that it can be.
I’ve been listening to the DH audiobook at work (congrats Jim Dale), and the more I think of it, the more likely it seems that DH will have to be made into 2 films. If they try to squeeze this into one 2 and half hour film, it will be horrible. Not to mention, this will probably be one of the most expensive films ever made. Just think of all of the new sets they will have to build, the vast number of actors, the special effects. Financially, it only makes sense to release two films to make up for that HUGE budget.
I think Justin you are right. It’s such an important film, needs to properly tie up loose ends and do the series proper justice. But I’m hoping for a 4 hour with interval compromise myself, as I’m not sure how it could split effectively.
They’re right about the “chance of cashing in” perception people might have because that’s exactly what I thought when I read that news title.
Still, you can’t compress it without mangling it over and the best time to do it would be with the biggest book in terms of content and the last of the series, but I don’t see two themes on the movie. It’ll have to end on a ‘to be continued’ state and that may tick people off. They could sort of compare it to the last two parts of the Matrix. Some movies have been successful when done that way, so who knows, maybe it’ll work, specially with such a rabid fan base as the HP one.
Where would you cut the movie if you were the director? What part would be fitting of a ‘to be continued’ line?
For me, it’s the only way to do justice to the last book! They have to do it in two parts.
I think the best moment to end the first one is after the Malfoy mansion. It will be the climax of the first movie. So, for the second, they will have all the time for the last battle in Hogwarts and also to explain the very complex and interesting character of Snape !
Please, WB, please : TWO MOVIES !!!
OH NO!
Please let it not be two movies! it will spoil the whole meaning of 7 being the most powerful magic number .I mean that was one of the resons that JKR wrote 7 books
because seven is the most powerful magic number and if they make 8 movies
it will spoil the whole meaning but don’t get me wrong I WOULD LOVE IT if they won’t cut much from the book I just wish they would make a longer movie I’m sure a true harry potter fan won’t mind a good long HP movie but making it 2 movies? it’s just a bad thing to do… very bad thing to do…
I would not mind so much two movies but I hope they release them at the same time, It would seem like a waste to have to wait a whole year to finish a Movie. I don’t mind spending money for an extra ticket but to have to wait would drive me mad. Also I would hope that they add both films to a DVD so that way you won’t have to pick up two DVD’s ($30 a pop) in order to finish the last chapter/ book turned movie in the series. In my opinion its a last ditched effort to gain more money out of the series. First you as a Harry Potter fan would have to buy two movie tickets at $10 each and then two DVD’s at $30 each = $80 where as I would normally spend half that ($40). On top of all the books and DVD’s I purchased already.
I would split it in Chapter 19 (I don’ have the book in front of me, I think it’s 19), when Harry’s following the doe patronus into the woods and finds the sword. I would have him in the water, drowning, and end it their with a “to be continued”. Then the second movie starts with Ron saving Harry and retrieving the sword, the destruction of the locket, and Hermione beating on Ron.
The hermione beating on Ron scene should be really great…assuming they don’t cut it.
the entire time that i was reading DH i was going mad, thinking ’ how the heck are they going to make this into a two hour movie??!!!??’ so i am all for the split into two films! the only negative is the wait…hopefully they could be released within mere months of one another? the cliffhanger will be horrendous for the fans! the thing is that it wouldn’t be ‘8 movies’ because it would be like, a half of the seventh. i really don’t care about the complexities, as long as us fans get the fluff, drama, and comedy that book seven holds. i want ALL of it, lol. and two movies would accomplishes that really well, don’t you think? there would be less film on the cutting board, and some of the small moments that only die-hard fans can appreciate would most likely be included. i’m all for it!
Posted by Lindsay, realllyy bored in stufdy hall on February 11, 2008, 01:45 PM
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El Caz, one reason I have been relistening to DH is to answer that question: Where could they split it? The two most likely places would be after they break into the ministry, or when they get to shell cottage. But if you split the films up too early (Ministry), you’re going to have a short first half an a very long second half. If you cut it at Shell Cottage, part two will be very short. I would think they’d have to find a happy medium between the two, but I can’t figure out where that would be? Godric’s Hollow maybe?
The next question would be, what do they call the two films? It would be tough to call Part 1 Deathly Hallows, since we don’t learn about what they are until we get 3/4 of the way through the book. I guess they could always move the part where they visit Xeno to an earlier part of the story.
I agree with the majority – they can compress the others but this is the last shebang, they need to do it a huge amount of justice or it will be weird. I think 2 movies is exactly the way to go. Just think of how it would be if it were just the length of GOF or OOTP – there is alot of sentimental details that they need to include to build up the ending. IF you have read the book- I know stupid question -then you know what I mean.
“It would be brilliant not to have to cut anything.” OMG! finally we can have a film that does the books justice! i really would like DH to be 2 movies on in the summer and one in the fall, it’ll jus be part one and 2, then WB will release a 4 hour film on dvd! and we can savour the whole book in it’s film glory! yeah! i think a good place to split is right when dobby dies, i’ll be a sad and intriguing ending to part one for non-readers.
Well, the idea keeps coming back, and I’m still no closer to believing it to be a good one. Deathly Hallows was planned, written and structured as a single story, with one beginning, one middle and one end; as a fan of the book, I honestly believe it’s far important to maintain that structural arc than it is to dogmatically reproduce every single scene, and that compromising the shape of the story to artificially create a secondary opening and climax would be a far greater mangling of the source text than dropping a few extraneous scenes would be.
I loved Deathly Hallows, and I love films; as such, I’d very much like to see a proper Deathly Hallows film, not a pointless and indulgent big-budget read-through/impression of the book that crams in absolutely everything, cinematic conventions of structure and pacing be damned. By all means, make a long, leisurely film – the fact that Titanic, Gone With The Wind and Return of the King are three of the most successful movies of all time shows that people don’t care about length as they’re interested – but for heaven’s sake, the book is NOT that dense. If Kloves, Yates, Heyman, Spielberg, Del Toro or whoever cannot find a way to adapt DH into a single film to less than 200 (or even 180) minutes, then they simply haven’t tried, and have sold out artistically in pursuit of one last additional payday, whatever excuse Mr Barron might try to give…
Directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious. Harry felt a kind of electric charge surge through every particle of his body -- [i]they were saved.[/i]
So they are still considering doing it in two movies. That’s intresting. I wonder what they’re going to do. I thought they would have wanted t for two films, because of the money, etc. I wonder where they would split it…