ScreenCrave.com » David Yates

David Yates to Take Doctor Who to the Big Screen

Damon Houx — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:38:30 +0000

Having directed the last four Harry Potter films, David Yates was looking for something large enough to sink his teeth into, and though he couldn’t quite fit into Steven King‘s The Stand, he’s now found his next project. A big screen adaption of Doctor Who. At least, according to Variety. He’s currently shopping for writers.

This would be the third time Doctor Who was brought to the big screen, as two movies were made in the mid-60′s with Peter Cushing, but they were of a modest size – nothing like what Yates would try to bring to this project. Doctor Who aired from 1963 through to 1989 in England, and made its way stateside for many to fall in love or be puzzles by such creations as the Tardis (the Doc’s time travelling device) and the Daleks.

But – perhaps more importantly – the franchise was rebooted successfully for television in 2005 and is still going strong. The show found a way to modernize its conceit and that version has had plenty of saturation in America, thanks to BBC America and easy home video access. Of course this would be a big screen version, so it’s hard to know how they will deal with the television show if it is still running. The impression from the story is that it would be its own adventure. As the franchise has passed through many leading men – there have been eleven Doctors – there’s no need to use the current iteration Matt Smith.

Exterminate! Exterminate? Do you want Doctor Who on the big screen?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:30:02 +0000

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the long awaited finale is finally here, and though fans will be able to cheer along to the film, my biggest problem is that they won’t really be able to cry. It’s hard not to like this film on some levels because even though it would never stand alone and won’t be the film we all remember from the series, it’s the finale! As always there’s plenty of fine acting, another special effects Oscar win for them lined up, and our lovable characters, BUT it’s all turned into a bit of a Soap Opera and for the end of something SO grand, the film never really makes the decisions to emotionally or tonally go HUGE which was needed in order for it to truly succeed.

(Note: And if you want me to talk about the 3D I can’t and won’t. For all of the other films to be made in 2-D and then this one to swap at the last second was a miss-step and only showed a side of the series that Harry Potter himself would scoff at — it’s not all about money for the viewers. It’s a “smart” business move, but this film should be in 2-D, is beautiful that way, and the 3D is a waste of your time, money and integrity.)

The Players:

Director: David Yates
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon and MANY more
Screenplay: Steve Kloves
Novel: J.K. Rowling (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”)
Original Music by: Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by: Eduardo Serra

The Plot:

The last film of the Harry Potter series. It all comes to an end.

The Good:

Our Trio: I still don’t know if it’s great casting, great teachers, growing up around such amazing actors, or just three amazing kids, but not only have our three main characters grown throughout the films, but they’ve grown into three mighty fine actors. Equivalents to the greats that supported them throughout the series. Despite the problems with the film, they’re always believable and seem to bring you back into almost any scene. This is their world and they were the ones who brought it to life for the audience – beautifully done.
Supporting Cast: Through the years, this has always been one of the highlights of the series, and once again it hasn’t failed them. Alan Rickman has always played one of my favorite characters and again he gives a great performance, Matthew Lewis who plays Neville Longbottom gave my favorite monologues of the film, Julie Walters as Molly Weasley fills your with delight and with one foul word will have you cheering… I can’t list everyone because I would just be listing the entire cast. All the little moments with the actors were really well done and appreciated.
The Effects: As always the Visual Effects department has stretched themselves and created an absolutely beautiful world for us to feast our eyes on (and no need for it to be done in 3D, the 2D color is better and gives you everything you need!.)

The Bad:

No Tears: I walked into this wanting to cry, wanting to get emotional, wanting to cheer and then sob my heart out — and there was nothing. There were moments of cheering, which was nice, but never I was never moved to emote anything more.Which leads to my overall problem of all of this being far too happy and never allowing for the film to settle in those dark moments and really revel in everything that’s happened and let the audience feel the severity of the situation. Also (SPOILER) when Voldemort finally faces off with Harry Potter, the last thing we want it a gag from Beatrix (who is great but was wrongly used in the moment). This was the moment we’ve been waiting for, for ten damn years! It’s a shame that it wasn’t taken more seriously.
Soap Opera-y: They had too much to explain and too many special effects to get in and as a result, it started to feel like they were forced to cram in as much information in one scene as possible so that they could spend time blowing up stuff in another. Harry was where? When? With who? She did what? Which means? Oh someone is running! But the action never had enough meaning to really hit home mainly because some of the exposition was weak at best and felt almost like an after-thought needing to tie things together.
Alan Rickman’s Make-Up: No excuses! A film like this should be visually perfect and despite the impressive special effects, Alan Rickman’s make-up was horrible! His eye liner looked like it was from Pirates of the Caribbean not ANY of the other Potter films! Small detail, but one that kept driving me nuts seeing as he’s one of my favorite characters!
The VERY End: (SPOILER) They’re supposed to have aged 19 years, Hermoine (Emma Watson) looked 25 tops, I don’t think it’s possible for a woman to age THAT gracefully (though maybe she knows a spell?). The only one who actually might have looked realistic was Ron (Rupert Grint), but overall the aging was really poorly done.
Didn’t Work as “Part 2″: I thought by them turning the last film into two films that they would have the time to really delve into the drama of it all, but instead the first film took away the severity needed to make the second film work. Without that direct pressure that the first film built, the second film is flimsy at best. Though I was excited about the idea of there being two films, they didn’t do it right. The ending would have meant so much more if both films would have been tied into one and they took out the excess and allowed the serious subject matter to really hit home.

Overall:

I loved Hogwarts the first time I saw it on the screen and the idea of it being destroyed and the series coming to a close is emotional, and I wanted to sob as I saw it fall to the floor, but the film just never moved me. The saddest part about this ending is the lack of sadness in the film. That being said, I’m still a fan of the series and perhaps watching both Deathly Hallows films back to back would give me the emotional closure I was hoping for. If you want to full effect, I’d recommend giving it a try.

Rating: 5/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 hits theaters July 15th!

Photos:

Trailer:

ABC Family Offers Behind the Scenes Footage from Final Harry Potter

Damon Houx — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:36:59 +0000

For Harry Potter fans, the ride is nearly over. The book series started in 1997 and concluded in 2007. The first film was released in 2001, and now ten years later the film franchise is nearly complete. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is due out July 15, 2011, and so it’s exactly four months away from release. And starting this week ABC Family will be airing behind the scenes footage, comments from director David Yates, and snippets from the last installment of the series over the course of showing the first five films in the franchise. Details follow…

ABC sent out a press release announcing the dates and times for their five film festival, which promises lots of tidbits. Likely these are minute-long blasts, but as any die-hard has read the books, these moments could give a sense of what’s coming. And for completists, there’s no evidence that all of this will eventually end up on the DVD or Blu-ray. This could be the only time this footage airs, which means it may include shots or effects that won’t make the finished film. Of course, Warner Brothers has been pretty thorough so far, with every Potter now getting at least one double dip to date for home video. From the press release:

Faithful Potter fans will also be given a chance to go behind-the scenes with never-before-seen interview footage from the cast and filmmakers which give insights on key scenes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 & 2, as well as revisiting important moments from the previous films to prepare for the final battle that takes place in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The never-before-seen footage that will be airing throughout the weekend includes a look back at Harry and Ginny’s relationship, director David Yates’ take on Harry and Hermione’s relationship, the origins of The Marauder’s Map and a look into the very last shot of principal photography of the film franchise with producer David Baron. ABC Family will also be airing exclusive sneak peeks at some of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, most exciting moments, including Harry & Draco’s fight in the Room of Requirement, the hair-raising dragon sequences and the final courtyard battle between good and evil. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in theaters on July 15, 2011.The Harry Potter weekend schedule is as follows:

Thursday, March 17^th

7:30 PM – 11:00 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Friday, March 18^th

3:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

7:00 PM – 11:00 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Saturday, March 19^th

9:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

12:30 PM – 4:30 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

4:30 PM – 7:30 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

7:30 PM – 11:00 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Sunday, March 20^th

7:00 AM – 10:30 AM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

10:30 AM – 2:30 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

2:30 PM – 5:30 PM ET/PT –Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

5:30 PM – 9:00 PM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

9:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

When exactly those clips play is unknown, though it is likely they will be online – officially or unoffically – shortly thereafter.

How excited are you for the new Harry Potter?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:00:41 +0000

It’s finally here! David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 flies into theaters this weekend. It feels like it’s been such a long time since we’ve seen Harry Potter on the big screen, it’s nice to finally continue the series with a film that is stronger than the last. In this film the Potter world takes a turn for the worse and our three lovable characters have to find a way to fight back. Despite the few problems with this film, Yates has delivered his a solid Potter film with more action, darkness and emotional depth than we’ve seen before (except for in Alfonso Cuaran’s).

Find out more about the film below…

Players:

Director: David Yates
Writer: Steve Kloves (screenplay), based on J.K. Rowling novel
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Felton
Original Music by: Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by: Eduardo Serra

The Plot:

We begin by remembering one big thing, Professor Dumbledore is dead and now nothing is safe. Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction–the Horcruxes. The three friends relationships are put to the test and they now must now rely on one another more than ever despite Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart. The Death Eaters search for Harry with orders to bring him to Voldemort… alive. Harry’s only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him.

The Good:

The Nazi/Facism Nod: Got to love a good nod to the Nazi regime! From the flyers, to the pure bloods screaming “but my father was a wizard!”, to mudbloods having to stand on trail and then hide out underground (though I’m sure most Jews would have loved to have a bit of magic to help them out). Though it was a bit obvious, it was a nice, messed up addition to the stories that helped show how big the war against Potter is and how much he’ll have to overcome.
The Acting: These three kids are amazing. Not only have they somehow all managed to not become power-hungry crackheads BUT they also can act, and very well I might add. Despite some of the issues I had with the story, all three main characters and the outstanding supporting, English cast who has literally left no English actor out at this point, all gave wonderful performances.
Dark Content: Though Alfonso Cuaran’s is still my favorite Potter film because of how dark he was able to take the tonality of the film, this was quite possibly the second darkest Potter film with some almost scary, definitely tense and sad moments that leave the audience feeling quite fulfilled.
The Finale: I won’t give anything away for those of you who haven’t head the books, but the character who gets the grand finale at the end of Part 1 is one the best characters in the series and it was nice to see so much time spent on his departure.
The Action: After David Yates told me in an interview that this film was the slow film and the next one is the action film, I’m worried for the second. There was plenty of appariting, flying, fighting, torturing for me in this one… anymore and it might turn into a straight Tony Scot/Michael Bay action film — here’s to hoping that doesn’t happen!

The Bad:

One Plot Device to the Next: The film very much jumps from one set piece to another. You move locations, get one emotional set-up, a physical event and then a conclusion… rinse and repeat, over and over again. The film as a whole is extremely formulaic, albeit entertaining.
Dancing Scene: Luckily Yates saved this by the end, but the start of the scene where Harry and Hermoine have a spontaneous dance moment felt a bit contrived. It was hard not to feel like they were intentionally trying to emotionally manipulative the audience. We get enough of this from Twilight, lets just leave it out of Potter. Which reminds me…
Twilight Nod!?: Yes, the “Twilight Vs. Midnight” line in the film is in fact in the book as well BUT something about the way this was shot made it feel like the entire film paused for these couple of lines and brought attention to them. It was worsened by the fact that you could feel people in the audience stop, look at one another and then keep going. Anything that takes you out of the world that the movie has created takes away from the experience and should be cut. So many things get cut from the book to the screen, why is that one important? And to further that, they say it three times and then end with a “Twilight might be better”. Though it probably had nothing to do with the Twilight series it’s hard for audience goers right now not to connect the two and get distracted.
The END: If you can call it that! This is supposed to be a film, not an episode in a TV series. We don’t have one week to wait for the next “episode” but SEVERAL months. Although I like who got the finale, the abrupt stop felt like an obvious “now you have to pay for another ticket” chop between the two films. It’s no Pirates of the Caribbean 2, but it will leave you pissed you can’t see the rest!

Overall:

Though this film had some faults I could pick at, it was quite an entertaining film and kept me interested from the action-adventure start, through the emotional moments and to the non-ending.

Rating: 7/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I in theaters November 19th!

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Further Reading:

Interview: Director David Yates Talks Harry Potter

Mali Elfman — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:30:45 +0000

This weekend in theaters David Yates‘ film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 hits theaters. We had a chance to speak to Yates over the phone to talk to him about finishing the last two Potter films, where he’s at in post-production with the second part of Deathly Hallows, having his own voice in the franchise and he talks about why Part 1 is his favorite Potter film!

Find out what insights Yates had for us below…

What is it like coming to the conclusion of such a massive project?

David Yates: Combination of feelings I would guess. For me personally it’s quote sad. I’ve been with it for about five and half years but there’s also a tremendous sense of relief because it’s been quite all consuming on every single level. It’s just lovely to get to that point where you can finally let go a little bit. For David Heyman, my producer who has been with it for ten years and the young cast, Daniel, Emma, Rupert and some of the others, it’s quite a huge deal. This is their childhood that they’re letting go of in a way. It’s full of mixed emotions for everybody and it’s kind of a combination of almost… we’re kind of near the end of all that work that everyone has been sustaining for so long, that still keeps to be reaching and sustaining audiences and they’re still responding. They’re still coming in such numbers in fact it seems to be building… and sadness as well that it’s finishing

Part 2 work? You’re still working away on that one, no?

DY: Yes, very much so! I’m editing at the moment. So just before the UK premiere I was working with my editor Mark Day back in London and we haven’t quite got to the point yet of a director’s cut, which is the first cut before I show it to anybody including the producers or the studio. So I don’t present anything to anybody until February of next year or something. So it’s still go a couple months of editing and then through March, April, May. June it’s all the level of work that comes which is fine tuning the visual effects and the music and all that kind of thing.

So there’s a lot more to do?

DY: Yeah, it’s pretty full on up until next summer.

Who does this film belong to? How much do you consider this your film?

DY: There is something about Harry Potter, which it’s hard for anyone to territorialize it. I think it’s because it’s so big and so popular and so loved. I would first and foremost go back to J.K Rowling who created these absolutely wonderful books. And then beyond that I think, myself included, and the previous directors and all of us, kind of pour everything we’ve got into these films. In a way we’re kind of curators of this national treasure that everyone has such affection for. As a director, I don’t feel particularly territorial about it at. Especially since Christopher Columbus kicked off the world and then Mike Newman and Alfonso came in and we’ve contributed, it’s like one big, great mosaic. That everyone has got up and put their own work into it. We’ve all kind of dived in to represent and capture some of those things which have really the attention and affection of a worldwide audience.

So do you consider yourself just part of the Potter group?

DY: I’m really cool about being part of that wonderful group of people who have all put their best efforts in. It’s really weird when you get to this stage and the film’s coming out, it’s so much more than one person’s film of a group of people’s film. I have a group of wonderful collaborators – my production designer, editor, composer, cameraman — it’s even bigger than the wonderful cast that we have even though they’re the focal point, quite quite rightly, for so many of the fans because they’re wonderful and gifted and adorable. It’s so much bigger than any of us. It’s this extraordinary thing that’s just kind of grabbed everyone’s imagination.

How do you get your own voice to come through?

DY: I make a thousand decisions a week creatively, I can tell you that ultimately this has been the most creative, fulfilling job I’ve ever had in many ways. There’s not a frame of the film that goes out that has not been through my hands as it were, that I have no approved or spent hours sweating over. So it’s still that but equally, I’m totally cool about stepping aside from it and saying well it’s Harry Potter- I’m totally at peace with that and have been form the outset. I just felt like – there’s something more going on here and I have the rest of my career ahead of me. I was busy before and I’ll be busy after. I’m proud of the work, I think it’s good work but I don’t crave glory from it, it’s just my contribution and I’m very happy about that.

Why do you think there is such a desire for franchises now?

DY: I think that notion of a rolling narratives, where you’re inviting an audience back is a part of big, modern cinema in the 21st century. I think these big franchise movies all have an element of that and I think that audiences who have a huge fondness for the characters you want to continue the story with them.

Which of the two films coming up are you most excited about?

DY: I am very, very fond of Part 1, it’s much more melancholic and haunted and intense than Part 2, which is more of an action film. There’s much more spectacle and battled and dragons and things. I’m still working on Part 2. I’m excited about both of them for different reasons. I like the intimacy of Part 1, the character detail and the quieter moments in Part 1, but I’m very excited about just getting to the end of the story and the big action stuff which is quite fun for an audience.

What are some of the main differences between UK and US audiences?

DY: I adore American audiences. They’re much more enthusiastic, they’re much more ready to show their vocal appreciation for certain things.

They’re louder basically?

DY: Yes, they’re louder! Which is great if you’ve spent so much time making a movie. If you want them to clap and cheer they do so. In England the intense feeling is there but they’re much more polite. It’s cliche but it’s absolutely true. What always strikes me is how many people from all over the world that tell me how massive the films are in India, Argentina, Costa Rica and what staggers me is that when you know that in Brazil there’s this massive audience. That’s what I find really intriguing and amazing and wonderful.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I opens in theaters on November 19th and Part II opens on July 15, 2011. Both films are directed by David Yates.

Further Reading:

Fantastic Four Rumors: Stephen Moyer, Bruce Willis, David Yates?

Krystal Clark — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:28:25 +0000

This past weekend a lot rumors sprung up regarding 20th Century Fox’s reboot of the Fantastic Four. Over at ComicBookMovie, they’ve been following the latest developments surrounding the film and they’ve discovered some big casting news. How big you ask? How about Bill Compton, John McClane, and Harry Potter big!

First off, Stephen Moyer who plays Bill Compton on “True Blood” is said to be up for the role of Dr. Doom. He’s the Fantastic Four’s arch nemesis who was previously played by Julian McMahon. Apparently, he’s the lead candidate to play the character and an offer has been sent out to him. In the film Dr. Doom will be shown as “the ruler of Latveria and a master of the mystic arts.”

Next we have Bruce Willis, who may or may not voice The Thing. Unlike the previous FF films, the rock-like hero will appear as a CGI character who’ll be voiced by an actor. In this case, that actor could be Willis. They claim that they want him to lend his voice and “stand in for few, brief scenes the character appears in human form during the opening credits.” Willis doesn’t come cheap, and they haven’t put out an official offer for him just yet.

That brings us to the directors. Three names have been mentioned on a shortlist to helm the film including The A-Team’s Joe Carnahan, Ninja Assassin’s James McTeigue, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows‘ David Yates. Who will they choose?

According to the site, the story for the film “tells a more dramatic tale of Marvel’s first superhero family, and will introduce audiences to a bevvy of characters not yet seen on film.” They also claim that next to Doom, the Silver Surfer is another character who’ll return for the reboot. This is a lot to take in for one movie, but like we said, it’s been a busy weekend.

What do you think of the latest news surrounding Fantastic Four? Who should star? Who should direct?

David Yates to Direct The Hobbit?

Krystal Clark — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:53:25 +0000

Now that Guillermo del Toro is no longer attached to direct The Hobbit everyone wants to know who will. This movie is no joke and has a slew of fans who accepted del Toro for the job because of his impressive track record, which means someone equally as impressive needs to fill his shoes. According to /Film, it looks like Harry Potter helmer David Yates might be one of the top choices to take over the directing reigns.

This is all speculation but the site claims that after viewing a few “industry insider tracking boards” Yates is a front-runner for the job. And to be completely honest he’s not a bad pick. When you think about it, he knows how to work from pre-existing material especially the kind that comes from a beloved book series. He’s the man Warner Bros chose to finish off the long running Harry Potter series with both The Deathly Hallows Part I and II. That’s what you call faith!

If he screws those movies up we can cry our hearts out but from what we’ve seen from the preview footage the film looks great. The possibilities at this point are endless and if Yates has thrown his hat in the ring we think he has a fair shot at winning the big prize.

Do you think Yates would be a good pick to direct The Hobbit?

David Yates Talks Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow

Mali Elfman — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:43:15 +0000

Comingsoon recently did an interview with Harry Potter director David Yates about his latest film Half-Blood Prince. During the interview they also discussed the two upcoming films for Deathly Hallow, which Yates is currently shooting. There was a big debate over whether or not the movie should be split and if they did split it, how it should be done.

Whether it’s to make money or to honor the series, they’ve split the final book in two and despite what people are thinking, the two aren’t necessarily being shot together. Yates is doing his best to shoot the films in order.

Check out what he had to say below…

CS: How has that been working out? For the seventh movie, are you literally shooting scenes for both halves at the same time or are you shooting one then shooting the other before doing editing on the first?

Yates: We’re trying to finish one and start the other, but simply because of availability of actors, we’re having to shoot a little bit of Part 2 while we’re doing Part 1. I would say we shot about 10% of Part 2 and about 85% of Part 1, so there’s a wee bit of checkerboarding but not much, and it’s going brilliantly. We’ve been shooting for five months. We finish shooting next spring, and it’s quite a long shoot for both movies, but it feels great. It’s looking very different to what we’ve done before and it feels very contemporary and quite edgy, certainly Part 1, and Part 2 I just want it to be epic. I’ve never made a film ever that’s like Part 2. It’s much more of a ride in a sense. It’s got huge set pieces and that’s what I’m really excited to do.

CS: And these are all new sets and locations? Because the first six movies have all been at the same Hogwarts sets just redecorated and dressed differently.

Yates: Yeah, yeah, and this time we’re out on the road and then we come back to Hogwarts, but the difference is we trash it. We blow it up. It turns into Stalingrad, which will be really haunting.

CS: Are you actually going to blow up Leavesden Studios when you’re done there?

Yates: (laughs) I’m not sure they’d be too pleased with us if we did that, but we’ll probably end up blowing up half of Leavesden. I keep saying to the special FX guys (that) these things are going to be big. We have to go out with a bang.

So there you have it! It looks like he’s doing his best to make these two films the best he possibly can. I appreciate that he’s trying to shot in order, it normally makes for a more congruent story-line, although there are always expectations.

What do you think about Yates comments on shooting?

Half-Blood Prince Director Talks About The Last Two Harry Potter Movies

Jeffrey Hyatt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:09:37 +0000

An LA Times interview with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince director David Yeats has given fans of the franchise something nice to contemplate as they prepare for the upcoming release of Half-Blood Prince — specifically what Yeats has in store for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

That would be parts I and II of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Presently there are only seven “Harry Potter” books from J.K. Rowling, and most fans of the books and films know the final novel will be broken into a two-part film.

Fair enough. Ah, but where in the final novel will Yeats and the producers decide to close out part 1 and set the stage for the final chapter?

During the interview Geoff Boucher asked Yeats if he had figured out where to end the seventh film and pick up with part 2 — in effect creating a much-needed cliffhanger.

“Yes, I think we have,” he said. “Things can change when you edit, of course, but the idea now is that it will be not long after the sequence that we are filming here today. That’s what we’re experimenting with. We’ve had three or four different ideas about where to cut off the seventh film. Traditionally, the movies have ended with a death or a bereavement, some sort of passage or arrival.

This time we think we will end with more a cliffhanger. Again, though, that’s the thought as of this moment.”

One could make the case that splitting the final installment into two films is just a studio ploy to extract as much profit as humanly possible, but Yeats defends the two-part decision:

“I will get the benefit of two budgets, the running time of two films and all the resources that brings with it to tell this huge adventure; more time, more money, more special effects. There are always things that are lost when you adapt a book to a film. With two films, much less will be lost.”

So we can chalk that up in the ‘good news’ category. We definitely do not want major plot points left on the cutting-room floor.

Of course there’s the title to think about: Will it be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, or will they tweak the second part and give the last film a more definitive title?

What do you think about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows being split into two films? Is that better, more Harry Potter awesomeness to enjoy?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Photos of Potter!

Mali Elfman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:30:17 +0000

Although there are not a lot of special effects in these photos, what I find interesting is how bright they are. The last three version of the film by Alfonso Cuarón (Prisoner of Azkaban), Mike Newell (Goblet of Fire), and David Yates (Order of the Phoneix) all went for a much darker visuals. Yates may be back at the helm for Half-Blood Prince, but it looks like he may have gone for a very different tone.

I’m not sure if these are just stills or shots from the film, but I’m still surprised by the amount of light being used, especially with such a potentially dark film. This makes me even MORE curious to see what this film looks like (damn summer time Potter!)

Check out the pictures below…

What do you think of the photos? Are they what you expected?

NEW EXTENDED TRAILER: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Mali Elfman — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:19:21 +0000

Not my favorite title, but so excited for the movie! Is anyone else a little pissed off that we’re not getting any Potter with our Turkey dinner this year? It sure looks like it’s ready to go!

Check out the extended trailer now…

Synopsis: Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Director: David Yates
Writer: J.K. Rowling (novel)
Cast: (Almost every British actor you can think of) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and MANY more…

ScreenCrave.com » David Yates

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