With the fifth "Harry Potter" film currently in production and scheduled for release with the seventh book next Summer, Potter-fans worldwide are all excited about two such events that some may not be aware of another event round the corner that will get them even more in a tizzy.
The Lavender Quill reports that series producers are currently in talks about potentially shooting the final two films of the seven-book series back to back ala the "Matrix" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels. The films would go into production mid-2007 through til mid-2008 for a release of November 2008 and Summer 2009.
The main reasons for the move are matters of practicality and economic sense. The three young stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are contracted only through the fifth film, doing two films back to back would result in only one round of negotiations and could well save the studio a few million in salaries by paying them all at once. Should the negotiations go well, it would also satiate fans worried that one or more of the trio may not appear in one or two of the final films.
On top of that comes the age issue, with the characters in the last two books aged 16 & 17. The actors are of varying age with Watson turning 16, Radcliffe turning 17 & Grint turning 18 in the next few months. Should the films go into production mid-2007, the actors will be 17, 18 & 19 during filming - leaving only Grint's age in the sixth film maybe being a wee bit of a stretch. Done on the present single film schedule, shooting wouldn't begin on the final book til they were 19, 20 & 21 respectively which would be a real stretch.
Finally there's economic sense. The cost of keeping up and maintaining the Potter sets is not cheap, and with "Goblet of Fire" costing supposedly around $225 million, the studio is trying to save wherever it can even if that includes its current flagship franchise.
That's not the only "Potter" related news today however, the first official photos have also gone online.
