Harry Potter films

From Harry Potter Wiki

Beginning in 2001, Warner Bros. Pictures began releasing adaptations of the Harry Potter books. These films have proven to be very popular, and in less than a decade the Harry Potter film series has become the highest-grossing motion picture series in history, surpassing the 46-year-old James Bond franchise^[1].

To date, six films have been released:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) (released in the U.S. as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone).
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

As of the summer of 2009, production was under way on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, an adaptation of the final novel. This final adaptation is being produced as two films or parts, to be released in 2010 and 2011.

[edit] Significance

Besides their record-breaking popularity, the Harry Potter film series, currently and once completed, are significant in several areas:

• The close involvement of its author, J. K. Rowling, in many aspects of production, including story consultation and casting.
• The fact that, with the exception of Albus Dumbledore, whose actor needed to be recast due to the death of the original, all major ongoing characters will have been played by the same actors for the entire series. A few supporting players have been recast over the years, however.
• The conclusion of the series will mark the first time a book series of this length, involving an ongoing story arc, has been adapted for film in its entirety, and without profound changes being made to the original storyline.

[edit] Notes and references