[Steve615]

Update: New release date: Wednedsday July 15 (likely Tuesday midnite, dontcha know).

The film has a release date of [strike]November 21,2008,[/strike] but trailers for the movie are beginning to show up online now.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809791044/video/9048692

 

[Steve615]

Warner Bros. has launched the official site for the film.

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince/

The only thing available on the official site at this time is a link to view the current trailer.

 

[smiddy]

This looks real good. Mrs. Smiddy sent me the link this morning.

 

[dbconsultant]

Can't wait for this one! We're both big Harry Potter fans. By the way, Smiddy, the smidlette's looking more like you every day!:lol:

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

I can't wait for this! My wife finally saw Order of the Phoenix with me in the theater - it was the first HP film I got to see in the theater! And she actually enjoyed it (She's not a HP fan. Won't read the books and didn't particularly like the first films). Hopefully she'll enjoy this one as much as the last.

 

[kal915]

Looks good, count me in to see it

 

[Steve615]

Warner Bros. announced today the the film will be delayed from the original November 2008 date to a July 2009 theatrical release.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20080814/121876187700.html

 

[Pink Fairy]

That makes me sad, I was looking foward to it - it was a VERY good book.

 

[space86]

Why was it delayed?

 

[Steve615]

Why was it delayed?

A couple of links regarding the delay of the film,and expected backlash from Potter fans.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cnet/20080814/tc_cnet/83011386031001764756

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5605992

New release date for the film is currently July 17,2009.

 

[Steve615]

A new trailer for this film has surfaced online recently.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince/feature-trailer

 

[Steve615]

Another new trailer for the film has popped up on Yahoo.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809791044/video/10774936

EDIT:Naturally,it is also showing up on the film's official site too.

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince/

 

[Steve615]

From USA Today:
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is the title of a new book from J.K. Rowling.
It will go on sale this Thursday.
It just so happens that the new book is directly related to the last HP novel,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
More info about the new book at the following link.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-11-30-beedle-the-bard-rowling_N.htm?se=yahoorefer

 

[Steve]

I hate to sound like a Harry Potter snob, but I wish someone like Peter Jackson (of LOTR fame) had done these movies instead. I think his attention to detail would have provided movie experiences that are more comparable to the books.

I'm currently re-listening to HP 7 as narrated by Jim Dale. If any fans haven't yet heard the way Dale brings these characters to life with his amazing talent for voices, I promise, you won't be disappointed. Stephen Fry narrates the UK audiobooks, but he does it in a single voice, which I don't enjoy nearly as much... it's much like being read a bedtime story instead of listening to a radio play.

Most public libraries (at least the ones here in NY) have the Jim Dale CD Audiobooks available.

/steve

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

I hate to sound like a Harry Potter snob, but I wish someone like Peter Jackson (of LOTR fame) had done these movies instead. I think his attention to detail would have provided movie experiences that are more comparable to the books.

I'm currently re-listening to HP 7 as narrated by Jim Dale. If any fans haven't yet heard the way Jim Dale brings these characters to life with his amazing talent for voices, you must give it a try. I promise, you won't be disappointed. Most public libraries (at least the ones here in NY) have the CD Audiobooks available.

/steve

I don't deny that Peter Jackson would have been awesome....

...but at the very least, it would have been nice to have the same director for all 7 movies. Each movie, with a different director, has had a distinctly different "feel". I think that having one director throughout would have provided a better movie experience.

 

[Fontano]

Technically speaking, you have only had 4 different directors:

#1 - Chris Columbus
#2 - Chris Columbus
#3 - Alfonso Cuarón
#4 - Mike Newell
#5 - David Yates
#6 - David Yates (Not released Yet)
#7 - David Yates (Not released Yet)
#8 - David Yates (Not released Yet)


Given that the first movie was done before book #4 was even published (completed), it makes it pretty hard to find a directory that is willing to guarantee an unknown amount of time to a project.

It is amazing that they have had very little cast turn over during this long time frame.

And this is also 7 movies, not 3.

The movies most certainly are not a replacement for the books.
The books where so indepth and long, that you simply couldn't stuff them into a 3 hour movie.

And I am very excited that the last book, was split into two movies.
Even though it was probably done for money, but it will at least give the last book it's respect. As it really was two major plot/story lines in that last book.

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

Technically speaking, you have only had 4 different directors:

#1 - Chris Columbus
#2 - Chris Columbus
#3 - Alfonso Cuarón
#4 - Mike Newell
#5 - David Yates
#6 - David Yates (Not released Yet)
#7 - David Yates (Not released Yet)
#8 - David Yates (Not released Yet)

Given that the first movie was done before book #4 was even published (completed), it makes it pretty hard to find a directory that is willing to guarantee an unknown amount of time to a project.

It is amazing that they have had very little cast turn over during this long time frame.

And this is also 7 movies, not 3.

The movies most certainly are not a replacement for the books.
The books where so indepth and long, that you simply couldn't stuff them into a 3 hour movie.

And I am very excited that the last book, was split into two movies.
Even though it was probably done for money, but it will at least give the last book it's respect. As it really was two major plot/story lines in that last book.

Yes, you've had 4 directors. In 5 movies! Stylistically, obviously 1 & 2 are relatively similar, but 3, 4, and 5 were, IMO, all different from one another.

As to the cast turnover.... I think (??) each of them (at least the "major" players) signed up for all 7 movies. I know that Richard Harris signed on for 7 movies as Dumbledore before his passing. A big deal was made of it at the time because he really didn't want to commit to 7 movies, but eventually relented because his grandchildren wanted him to do it (IIRC).

If they'd wanted one director all the way through, I think somebody would have done it. 4 books were already released with smashing success - it was, IMO, practically a given that the movies would meet similar success. I think they could have found a director who would have committed to 7 movies. I could very well be wrong here, but I think if it was important to them, they could have made it happen....

 

[Fontano]

Yes, they probably could have a found a way.
And honestly, IMHO. If it would have been Chris Columbus for all of them, I would have been very disappointed. While I liked the first movie, I really didn't like the second one.

The 3rd, it's style just wouldn't have worked for the 4th.

And I think the way the 5th movie went is perfect for the remainder of the series.

It's a good debate though.

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

Yes, they probably could have a found a way.
And honestly, IMHO. If it would have been Chris Columbus for all of them, I would have been very disappointed. While I liked the first movie, I really didn't like the second one.

The 3rd, it's style just wouldn't have worked for the 4th.

And I think the way the 5th movie went is perfect for the remainder of the series.

It's a good debate though.

It is a good debate. I think that on their own, each of the movies has been very good. But I think if they had one director through 7 movies, the overall experience would have been better. At some point, all 7 movies will be done, and to some extent they'll be looked at as one "project", and the different directors for the different movies take away from the overall "project".

Personally, I'm actually partial to Alfonso Cuaron's interpretation & style. I know these are "kids" books, but it really is, in many ways, a dark story, and I liked what Cuaron did with it.

That said, I do agree with you that movie 5 was very good and if the final movies match up to that, they'll be very good as well.

My wife is not a reader, and has not read any of the books. She's seen all 5 movies, but only to humor me! OOTP is the only movie that she actually enjoyed, which bodes well for the last few movies, IMO.

 

[Steve]

But I think if they had one director through 7 movies, the overall experience would have been better.

Agree. The audiobooks, believe it or not, were all "directed" by the same individual, AFAIK, who's name escapes me, resulting in consistent excellence from the first to the last.

While looking for the director's name, I came across these videos of Jim Dale reading "live" at Barnes and Noble. Pretty entertaining, IMO. His web site claims he voiced over 140 different characters for Deathly Hallows! /steve