In The News
Official: Two Parts for "Deathly Hallows" Movie, David Yates to Direct Both Films
DH FilmBig News everyone! The L.A Times is reporting an exclusive today: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be made in two films, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" , and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. Furthermore, the paper cites producer David Heyman confirming the return of David Yates as director for both films, with Steven Kloves to finish out his duties as screenwriter for both Harry Potter movies as well. The movies are to be filmed at the same time, and will be released several months apart, with Part One due November 2010, and Part Two, May 2011.
Update: The article has additional information now, with quotes from producer David Heyman on his conversation with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling on splitting the book into two films. "Heyman said he approached Rowling with some trepidation about the strategy but found that she signed off on its logic rather quickly. "I went to Jo and she was cool with it," Heyman said, "and that was quite a relief."
The newspaper continues saying "Producer David Heyman said the decision was made with some anxiety and only after considerable deliberations. The producer joked that "while my wife and Warner Brothers were pleased" to hear that the Potter movie magic will continue into the next decade, he himself fretted that the cynical observers would see the decision as a purely mercenary move."I swear to you it was born out of purely creative reasons," Heyman said during an interview in a converted airplane factory outside London that has been home base to all of the "Potter" productions. "Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book. 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."
Actor Dan Radcliffe who portrays Harry Potter in the film is quoted as saying "I think it's the only way you can do it without cutting out a huge portion of the book," Radcliffe said recently during a break on the set of "Half-Blood Prince," the sixth "Potter" film, which is due in theaters on Nov. 21. "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."
Of interest to many fans is the spot in the book where the films will break, and producer David Heyman addresses this as he notes: "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? These are the interesting challenges. But each book has presented its challenges."
Warner Bros. Chairman Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, are expected to discuss the new plans for "Potter" on Thursday during a presentation at ShoWest, the convention of movie exhibitors in Las Vegas.
UPDATE 2The LA Times has a second story now online, containing new comments from WB Chair Alan Horn on the decision to split and the additional film time for the story "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." Mr Horn continued on, remarking about the epilogue to "Deathly Hallows" regarding the beloved trio and how that would be translated to the big screen. "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."
Thanks much to the LA Times, Jimbo, and TML!rate this article
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Squeeee!!! OMG guys I can’t believe we were all right! The splitting of the book seemed logical in order to fit everything into the movie. Or you could spend eight hours on the theater. XD
I’m thinking that a nice place to split it could be where Ron leaves the group or maybe after Harry visits Godric Hollow.
I wonder if Matt Lewis’s comment forced WB to make the announcement sooner than they had planned.
@TML: Yeah true. but on your first post you said that they should end part one during the last battle. unless i read that wrong. and that’s very far into it. I think tons of stuff happens after shell cottage. i mean after a kind of lull right when they break into Gringotts it’s just action-packed. there’s no pauses. and it’s all one day. you got the break in, the dragon, his scar burning and find out where the last horcruxes are and then they’re in hogsmeade and then they’re in the hog’s head and then they’re going through Ariana’s portrait to the room of requirement and then harry’s in the ravenclaw common and then snape flees and then the battle begins and harry goes to the great hall and then he’s talking to the ravenclaw ghost and then he’s trying to find ron and hermione and then they’re in the room of requirement again and then…...!!!!!!! THERE’S just so much that happens after Shell Cottage. That’s got be where they cut it.
Madam Hooch, you and I are on the same page as to where they should cut the movie. Dobby’s demise is a great way to end because it really packed an emotional punch after all the nail-biting horror/action at Malfoy Manor. The Trio (and Luna, Dean and Olivander) basically just escaped/survived by the skin of their teeth—at a huge, huge price, and it’s a point at which the action in the book slows down somewhat before we get into VERY expository territory that I don’t think people’s brains can handle or absorb very well at the end of a movie.
Remember, that the audience has got to absorb all the stuff about wandlore, Gringott’s, coupled with Harry having visions of Voldie. I think that it would be very hard to present the whole Harry-can-see-what-Voldie-is-up-to-and-is-making-choices-between-Horcruxes and-Hallows-all-while-he’s-interrogating-Griphook-and-Ollivander. Yet, there is still a LOT of action left in the book and would give ample time for all the wonder that is the break-in at Gringotts and of course the epic battle at Hogwarts—which battle (and all of Harry’s running around) could take an entire hour plus all on its own.
@Lilibeth: I really don’t think they’re going to end part one at a funeral. that’s not going to make people really want to come back. I mean it would be interesting if they ended it right when they arrive at Malfoy Manor and they find out where they are. That would be cool.
@Caracticus
I AM a true fan. I’m just not so blinded by my fanboyishness that I can’t judge the Harry Potter films objectively as films. As nice as it would be to see a live-action picturebook, the movies suffer when they try to get bogged down in all the details of the book and lose sight of the actual story and relevant plots. The Columbus films proved this, and I thought WB had learned their lesson since then.
Good idea !
I hope they ‘ll make the best of it with two 3 hour long movies !!!
So I WAS happy until I realized NOVEMBER 2010??
Thats TWO YEARS after HBP!! And thats only part 1!
How will we survive the 2-2 1/2 year gap?
?!
At least it looks like the Dobb-ster will be in it!!!
@Caracticus
I AM a true fan. I’m just not so blinded by my fanboyishness that I can’t judge the Harry Potter films objectively as films. As nice as it would be to see a moving picturebook of every scene from the books, the movies suffer when they try to get bogged down in all the details of the book and lose sight of the actual story and relevant plots. The Columbus films proved this, and I thought WB had learned their lesson since then.
@remipau: if they make two 2 and 1/2 hour movies. then that will be a total of 6 hours. That’s a long freakin’ movie. Yes!!!!!
Oh my God! I think this is just SO fantastic. Wow. I think the two moviws will ensure that nothing of importance gets cut and that with Yates as a director makes me really believe that they are going to be brilliant! Woop woop! Harry Potter madness will continue for may years to come!
OMG!!!!!!! YES FOR THE TWO MOVIES. No for David Yates. Yes FOR STEVEN kOLOVES
tHEY SHOULD SPLIT THE MOVIE AFTER RHE WHOLE SILVER DOE /RON COMES BACK/ GRFFINGOR SWORD/ DESTROY HORCRUX SCENE
SO ECXITED OMG I CANT EVEN SPELL PROPERLY CUZ IM SOOOO EXCITED
“Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book…”
I disagree. You could remove the whole DD backstory, seeing as it has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT. Not to mention that it’s repeated over and over…
Sorry, but after the way some of the other books got condensed to confused messes in the other movies, NOW, with a book that spends a lot of time sitting around on its butt and another large portion talking about stuff that has nothing to do with the main plot, they give a crap?
I have mixed feeling about this. I would have liked one long movie but I seem to be in the minority. When I read the book I wondered how they were going to film all the important parts but I never considered a two part movie. I am a fan of long movies like Gone with the Wind and Titanic and could not fathom those movies being cut and shown 6 months apart. Also, a 2 YEAR wait just for part 1 2 ½ years for part 2-WHY? I wonder if it is scheduling conflicts with the actors. I just hope it works. What is funny to me also is that many of the people on here get so excited anytime there is new movie news then the movie comes out and it is –I hate the movie, I hate the director, I hate the screen writer, I hate the music, I hate the hair styles, where is Harry’s scar, they cut this, they should have never cut that, Ron was not book Ron, Hermione was this, Harry was that, my popcorn was stale, Blah,Blah,Blah I can’t wait to see the board after DH part 1 is out and everyone is tearing it apart like they have done with OOTP this past year and some that are already anticipating a bad HBP. Why did they stop it there, they should have done this, ETC…
I am so STOKED at this!! This way they can get everything in, hopefully! I cannot WAIT! I wish it was earlier than 2010 and 2011, though!
WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I really wanted this ! They will be able to include all the great parts without major sections being lost and them having to change the story to cope with this. Would of prefered a new director but you can’t have everything! 110% for this !
I think I am happy with David Yates staying. I liked his style in OotP. Alfonzo Cuaron would have been interesting, seeing as he had the whole darkness thing down in POA, but overall he wasn’t my favorite.
I also think they should cut right after the whole Ron coming back and Locketcrux and everything there.
Hmmm … Interesting!! .. I was hoping they would make one looong movie instead (i wouldn’t mind sitting 3.5 hours to see a Potter movie!! ..) ..... But since the split is now official, we’ve got to move on from there …
so now to the talking point … where should the split be??? ... I think the best point to end the first movie would be the destruction of the first horcrux. It would have something of a climactic feel as it is the first victory in their quest for destroying Voldemort.
But, If this is the breaking point, it wouldn’t make much sense to call the movie ‘Deathly Hallows’ as they don’t figure into the story at this point.
Sorry, comments are closed for this article.
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This is exciting news! Actually, the wait between DH Part 1 and Part 2 is only six months, not one year as a couple of posters have mentioned. November 2010 to May 2011 is only 6 months.
I seriously hope they do the Battle of Hogwarts chapters justice. It will be hilarious to see Professor McGonagall and those running desks! And the scene in the Room of Requirement/All Hidden Things with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Crabbe & Goyle…that should be awesome, too! Not to mention the final showdown with Voldemort in the Great Hall…so many scenes to look forward to!
I’m getting so excited just thinking about the possibilities. Now that they’ve admitted that they can’t cut anything from the script and maintain the integrity of the story, I believe that Kloves, Yates (and company) will produce two movies that satisfy hardcore fans.
Of course, let’s not forget there’s still HBP coming later this year. Squeeeeee!!!!!