Harry Potter News

As we reported yesterday, the final installment of Harry Potter - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - will be broken into two movies. Star Daniel Radcliffe sees this as a positive.

"It's a really positive thing," the actor told TV Guide recently. "And I think the fans will appreciate that more than had we tried to make it into one film. We'd have to cram so much in there and actually have to skip over some things. And in this seventh book, there are a lot of things you can't afford to skip over."

Of course, Radcliffe acknowledges that director David Yates and the writers have a lot of work ahead of them.

"The challenge now is for them to find out where the breaking point is between the two films," he said, "because I don't think there is an obvious place [to do so]."

The timetable for the big finale?

"When I finish the sixth film [Half-Blood Prince], which I'm shooting now, I'll take some time off â€" I'm doing Equus on Broadway â€" and a while after that I'll get on the Hallows films, which we'll film as one. That will begin early-ish next year."

Great news for Harry Potter fans:

According to Variety, The final installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise is being released in two parts, six months apart. Warner Bros. is set to release the first part of Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows in November 2010, with the second part of the finale opening in May 2011.

The film will be shot concurrently, though it's not yet clear at what point in the story - adapted from J.K. Rowling's 784-page book - the films will break.

The bookitself sold a record 11 million copies during the first 24 hours after its release last July. The sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will open this November.

Just when you thought the Harry Potter phenomenon couldn't get any bigger, Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation have announced some giant-sized news: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will feature an IMAX 3-D finale!

The companies revealed today that the last 20 minutes of the forthcoming flick will be converted into IMAX 3-D format. Moreover, given that the climax of the film features some serious wizard battling action, the large-format three-dimensional experience should provide some real thrills for Potter fans.

"The Harry Potter films are an enormous draw all over the world, and this film should prove to be no different," says Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures International. "The last 20 minutes in IMAX 3-D will add a new element of excitement to the Harry Potter experience, making this a must-see for fans of all ages. We're looking forward to a long and very successful run."

Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment adds:

"We know that through the magic of IMAX, fans will already feel as is if they are right next to Harry, Ron and Hermione in IMAX's larger-than-life 2-D format, and we are thrilled to treat them to an even more immersive experience with the finale of the film brought to you in IMAX 3-D."

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opens in IMAX and standard theaters everywhere on July 13.