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It's Official: Final Harry Potter Book to Be Two Movies

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:30:29 -0700

It was a rumor before, and now it's confirmed: the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is to be made into two separate films: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The films are set to be released in November 2010 and May 2011.

The movies will be shot back-to-back and will be directed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince director David Yates.

Apparently, "adapting the novel would have resulted in truncating large swaths of it or making an extra-long feature in order to fit everything in. The studio found itself in a situation similar to Quentin Tarantino with Kill Bill, where splitting one long movie in two worked best creatively." Also, you know, Potter movies are a ginormous money-makers for Warner Brothers so . . . there's that.

What do you think about this news? And should the two movies have different titles than simply Part 1 and Part 2? What would you title them?

Last Harry Potter Book May Be Made Into Two Movies

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:30:03 -0800

It's nothing officially official yet, but word from UK source The Mail on Sunday is that the seventh and last Harry Potter book will turn into two movies instead of one. While the obvious reason for this would be that Warner Bros. stands to make even more gazillions of dollars with a Harry Potter 7 and a Harry Potter 8, the article claims that "sources insist the reason behind the two-movie plan is artistic rather than financial." Here's more:

A film source said: "There's so much to fit that the view is the last movie should be in two halves. There is a huge battle when Harry, played by Daniel Radcliffe, takes on Voldemort that needs to be done really well." And Ms. Rowling points out on her website: "It is simply impossible to incorporate every storyline into a film under four hours long."

Damn straight! The books always pack in way more than what ends up in the movies, so this seems like the only satisfying way to complete the film series. Besides, I suppose if you're going to go out with a bang, you may as well make two big bangs, right? What do you think about two final Harry Potter movies?

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Daniel Radcliffe Gives His Take on Deathly Hallows

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Aside from J.K. Rowling, I'm pretty sure nobody on earth is more intimately involved in the story of Harry Potter than Daniel Radcliffe, who has been playing Potter in the movies since age 11. Can you imagine reading the conclusion of a story starring a character you alone brought to life onscreen?

Well, Entertainment Weekly got an exclusive interview with Radcliffe regarding his thoughts on just that (though severe spoiler warning here - the interview includes details about Deathly Hallows that you shouldn't see if you haven't yet finished the book).

Unsurprisingly, he devoured the giant tome, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in little time and then chatted with EW about what surprised him - and what didn't. Check out some highlights from the interview:

Radcliffe began reading the final book the night before his 18th birthday (which was July 23... like you needed me to tell you that), and marked in the front of the book the time and date when he began reading it, which I just find so thoughtfully romantic of him. He now has the precise moment written down when he began to learn the end of Harry Potter.
Without going into spoliery details here, Radcliffe actually had several theories and predictions about the series, some of which were confirmed and some of which surprised him by not coming true. He claims the way he'd envisioned the series ending was "far too obvious" and seems relieved that Rowling found "a cleverer way of doing it."
Radcliffe can't wait to start filming Deathly Hallows: "I think Jo has given me, once again, an amazing opportunity to step up. So hopefully I'll be able to."
In case you were wondering, he was listening to Scandinavian band Sigur Ros when he finished the book. And then he stared off in space for a while. "I'm still struggling to really take it in. It doesn't leave you in a hurry."

J.K. Rowling Answers Questions About Deathly Hallows

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:30:00 -0700

Recently J.K. Rowling talked to Meredith Veira on "TODAY" in her first interview since the release of her seventh and final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. According to Rowling, she left the epilogue purposely vague, though in the interview she revealed details left out of the epilogue that many readers were dying to know.

Of course, Rowling realizes that no amount of information she supplies (even, perhaps, "a Harry Potter encyclopedia") will be enough to satisfy the most devoted fans. "I'm dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry’s great-great-grandparents,” she said. Not that this bothers her, of course: "I love it,” she said. "I'm all for that."

I won't post all the information here, but for a few tidbits of what she said in the interview (spoiler alert for those who haven't finished Deathly Hallows), read more

Rowling expounds on what becomes of Harry, Ron and Hermione, including family stuff and information about their occupations.
She gives her thoughts on Luna Lovegood's future.
She reveals the fate of Hogwarts.

All the details can be found here.

Harry Potter Breaks Records - This Time in Book Sales

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 06:29:45 -0700

Now, I love movies a whole lot, but this news still made me smile: In a rare occurrence of a literary work outselling a hit movie, the revenue generated by J.K. Rowling's 7th Harry Potter book far surpassed that of the latest movie's (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) opening weekend. Check out how impressive this is:

The final volume of J.K. Rowling's seventh-book fantasy series, sold a mountainous 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale in the United States, according to Scholastic Inc.

No other book, not even any of the six previous Potters, has been so desired, so quickly. Deathly Hallows averaged more than 300,000 copies in sales per hour - more than 5,000 a minute.

Seriously, think about that: 5,000 per minute

Well, Potter fans, tell me: Was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows worth all the hype? How do you feel now that Harry's story has come to a close?

P.S. - That's Kate Beckinsale's daughter Lily in the photo, and I just think she's adorable.

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Buzz News Roundup, 7/2

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:32:39 -0700

Jaime Foxx has been cast in the lead part of a racially charged drama titled Blood on the Leaves, says Hollywood Reporter.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has become Amazon's most pre-ordered book of all time, with 1.6 million copies already ordered worldwide ahead of the book's July 21 release, Reuters reports.
The LA Times looks at the challenges of playing God on screen.
Megan Fox, the "hot girl" in Transformers, will join Kristen Dunst and Simon Pegg in the film adaptation of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Zap2It reports.
Speaking of Transformers General Motors is hoping the movie - in which, according to the company, the cars "are the heroes" - will boost their auto sales, the AP states.
The final "Drive" episodes will air Friday, July 13 instead of July 4 as originally scheduled, Zap2it reports.
P.J. Harvey is readying a new album for fall release, with songs based more on the piano than the guitar, Billboard reports.
The premiere of "Burn Notice" actually got better ratings than "The Starter Wife" finale, drawing about 4 million viewers, Variety reports.

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New Harry Potter Book Cover Breathlessly Revealed

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:34:09 -0700

Let the rampant plot speculation begin! As reported by the AP, U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. today revealed the cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and last book in the Harry Potter series. According to the word picture painted by the AP, the cover features "a dramatic gold-and-orange sky and a teenage boy in eyeglasses reaching upward."

The book, which will be released to clamoring mobs on July 21, has Harry looking a bit disheveled and gaunt, if I do say so myself. To be sure, that's quite purposeful:

"The structures around Harry show evident destruction and in the shadows behind him, we see outlines of other people," David Saylor, Scholastic's art director, said in a statement.

What do you guys think about the new cover? It looks a bit lackluster to me, but I'd be interested in hearing what clues you think it imparts about what's inside.

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