Harry Potter Chopped In Two; David Yates to Helm
All of those rumors turned out to be true - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment in the blockbusting series, will be split into two films. David Yates, who directed both Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince, will return for both films.
The directorial choice certainly makes sense, given that Order of the Phoenix was extremely successful and critically acclaimed. Unlike other candidates like Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro, Yates felt comfortable committing the next two years to this massive project.
But splitting the story in two? It’s an easy way out, but it doesn’t sound attractive to anyone but the most hardcore of fans. A cursory reading of the novel indicates which parts could easily be sacrificed; with careful trimming, the story could easily be cut down to single-movie length. They are treating the book as gospel, when it should be a guideline.
No matter what happens, of course, the movies will still gross insane amounts of money - in that way, the producers have a safety net. But that doesn’t mean they should take the lazy way out.
What do you think? Does the idea of a Harry Potter two-parter make you cringe, or rejoice? Either way, you can always turn to Kwanzoo for Harry Potter trivia.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Frankly, I wish more remakes and adaptations were as faithful to their source material. I’ve seen enough butcherings to last a lifetime–case in point “John Carpenter’s Vampires”. Based on the Allen Steakley novel “Vampire$”, it was a movie I was really looking forward to. I’d read the book first, you understand, and having one of my favorite (still is!) horror directors at the helm should’ve spelled success. But there was so much missing between the book and the movie that I felt quite let down. Granted, the movie was still good, but compared to the book? Still a letdown.