When Warner Bros. announced last Thursday that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had been pushed back from Nov. 21 to next July, hardcore fans immediately entered the five stages of nerd grief. So far we've worked our way through denial, anger, semi-literate Internet ranting, and conspiracy-theorizing. All that's left is acceptance, where we go ahead and watch the movie when it comes out next summer and forget any of this ever happened.
In the meantime, several myths about the date change have popped up, and we'd like to help separate fact from fiction.
MYTH #1: Half-Blood Prince was moved because WB was scared of Twilight. According to some people who are fans of the Twilight novel and pre-fans of the Twilight movie, WB got nervous about Harry Potter coming out just three weeks before the teen-vampire chick flick, fearing it would siphon off too much of Harry's audience.
Most observers believe Twilight will indeed be a hit, but come on. The Harry Potter franchise the most lucrative in film history, with a total worldwide box-office gross so far of $4.5 billion. There's no reason for WB to fear any competition, no matter how formidable. Also, most of Harry Potter's income is from overseas, where Twilight, still largely a U.S. phenomenon, cannot hope to compete.
Plus, if Half-Blood Prince came out Nov. 21 and followed the usual pattern, it would have already made most of its projected income by the time Twilight showed up on Dec. 12 anyway. Three weeks is a huge gap in our modern, front-loaded, it's-all-about-opening-weekend movie culture. If there had only been one week between them, then maybe you'd have something.
Okay. I know that fandom usually leads to fanfic stories that center on a million different sexual scenarios, but what's with the Harry Potter nudity? If Ace Showbiz has it right, Daniel Radcliffe is stripping once again, but this time it isn't for a disturbing play about horses. It's for Harry Potter.
Yes, they report that the almost-20-year-old will strip down for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Radcliffe is quoted as saying: "At first I thought I'd have pants [underwear] on for the scene. Apparently not. But I've sort of done that before on stage. It's all old hat now, really."
Well, it may be old hat to him, but there are still many hordes of Harry fans who probably weren't expecting to see his ... you can guess where I'm going with this. Will audience be able to see a good bit of skin when all is said and done? That remains to be seen. While the films are getting darker, we all know that violence and darkness goes down a lot easier than some added skin, and this is still a kid-centric series.
This is the cover of the new Entertainment Weekly, which hit newsstands today, approximately 24 hours after its top story became outdated. As you've heard by now, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is no longer the most-anticipated movie of the fall; it's now the most-anticipated movie of July 17, 2009. Whoops.
This bit of unfortunate timing is particularly cruel given that Entertainment Weekly and Harry Potter distributor Warner Bros. are both owned by Time Warner Inc. As EW's Jeff Giles writes in a must-read entry on the magazine's blog, "EW and Warner Bros. share a parent company, but they clearly do not share, you know, important friggin' information." (For the record, Cinematical is owned by Weblogs Inc., which is owned by AOL, which is also owned by Time Warner. But if Entertainment Weekly isn't in the loop on major corporate decisions, you can imagine how out of it we are. We're like the distant hillbilly cousins who show up at the family reunion, have no idea who anyone is, and gorge ourselves on pie.)
Considering EW is Time Warner's flagship entertainment magazine, you'd think someone at corporate would have given them a heads-up before their Fall Movie Preview went to press. While the announcement about the date change wasn't made until Thursday, surely the execs at Warners didn't just wake up that morning and say, "Hey, let's move Harry Potter today!" Surely the decision was at least a few days in the making.
On the other hand, it did seem to happen pretty suddenly. Giles points out that Half-Blood Prince's teaser trailer (complete with the November release date) is attached to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in theaters today. If Warners had made the decision in time, they'd have nipped that in the bud, too. So either the decision really wasn't made until yesterday, or else some family members are too good at keeping secrets from one another.
I recall reading about real-life experiments with invisibility a couple years back, and I could have sworn I blogged about them here on Cinematical. But I must have decided to keep Harry Potter fans from getting their hopes up, despite the fact that the original article I read had specifically mentioned Potter's invisibility cloak. Plus, I must have been hesitant to attempt to explain the science behind it.
Well, now that more news has come out about the development of materials that may be able to render people and other three-dimensional objects invisible, I figure it's time to get excited. Now we can definitely wander around Hogwarts after dark without being spotted by Argus Filch. Or, for the grown up kids, you can potentially sneak into the girls' locker room. Just beware that these real-life cloaks probably don't work so well in such foggy conditions.
Devout fans of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight Saga" might not appreciate the comparisons, but it's easy to see from the outside that the books are being treated by the entertainment industry like the second coming of Harry Potter. Only with vampires instead of wizards. Yet despite all the excitement surrounding tomorrow's release (or tonight's release, if you're a real fan) of Meyer's fourth and final installment, "Breaking Dawn," I don't see the series really being as successful. I can't imagine a whole new Twilight-themed music genre forming, for instance ("vampire rock" would just be goth rock, anyway). And even with all the screams heard in Hall H last week during the Twilightpanel at Comic-Con, I don't believe the movie is going to be anywhere as big as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (I see it maybe clearing half of Sorcerer Stone's $318 mill. domestic take).
If the first Twilight movie is big enough to warrant further adaptations of the Saga, the franchise could possibly see itself being compared to Harry Potter in another way, at least if Meyer has any say in the way "Breaking Dawn" makes it to the big screen. Similar to how the seventh and final Potter novel, "Deathly Hallows" is being split in half for two separate films (the first part will be released in December 2010, with the second part arriving six months later), Meyer tells MTV that there needs to be two separate movies made out of the final book in her series. And she knows exactly where the story should be split (see if you can figure out where while reading the book this week), which makes me wonder why she didn't just write five books rather than four.
To hear the suggestion straight from the author's mouth, check out MTV's interview with Meyer after the jump.
The first trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princehas just arrived online (watch it above or over on Moviefone in glorious HD), and, well, wow -- is it creepy or what? Not a ton of Harry, but we get our first look at Tom Riddle (as the young Voldemort) and it's clear we're heading in a very dark direction. It's a different trailer, I think, than we all expected -- and it doesn't come with all your usual montage-shots-as-the-music-builds kinda stuff. That's not to say we won't get all that in the next trailer ... and, truth me told, I definitely dig what they did here. Move over Twilight, our friend Harry Potter is back in theaters on November 21.
Further ensuring that the band Pulp should have new fans in the future, front man Jarvis Cocker continues to seek younger listeners. This time, in an interview with Time Out Chicago, he claims to have written a few tracks for Wes Anderson's stop-motion-animated film The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is based on the novel by Roald Dahl. He says there are three or four songs and then some music that could become part of the film's score. Additionally, in response to questions regarding his solo track "Disney Time", he notes that writing music for a kid's movie is his chance to "do better" than Disney films, at least in terms of corrupting young minds.
A few years ago, Cocker contributed to the soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fireand even appeared in the movie as a member of the fictional group The Weird Sisters, performing the songs he composed, "This is the Night", "Do the Hippogriff" and "Magic Works." Pulp has also written songs specifically for movies in the past, including a rejected theme song to the 007 movie Tomorrow Never Dies (both the original version of "Tomorrow Never Dies" and a retitled version called "Tomorrow Never Lies" were later released as a bonus track and a B-Side, respectively). In the interview, he suggests that Quantum of Solacecould now use his solo effort "Quantum Theory", to which he'd change the lyrics appropriately.
When QOS arrives in theaters this fall, don't be surprised if Cocker's song isn't heard. As for Fantastic Mr. Fox, we'll have to wait until November 2009 to see if the man's music makes its way to impressionable ears.
So you know that 15-second Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince teaser that's playing before The Dark Knight? Yeah, well it's just hit The Tube ... and you can see it above. Unfortunately, it's very much a teaser in that there's no actual footage from the film at all. All we hear is Dumbledore's voice saying, "Once again, I must ask too much of you Harry." Then there's some lights, and -- ta da -- we get the title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Following the title, there's this: Select Sequences in IMAX 3-D. Yeah, I'm thinking that will look pretty damn cool. I wish we had more to give you Potter nuts right now (you can also check out our nifty gallery below), but this is all there is. However, a little wizard told me there might be some more gifts arriving soon ...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters on November 21.
Finally! This is the day you've all been waiting for (well, maybe not all of you -- but I'm sure there's a few of you, if not one or two of you ... or maybe a few imaginary readers too). Our friends over at Warner Bros. sent over a whole group of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince photos so that we can strap them all together and show them off in a big, bright shiny gallery. So, it is with great joy that I introduce you to Cinematical's official Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince photo gallery!
(I'll let you catch your breath from screaming so loud ....)
Done? Good. Below you'll find 16 gorgeous images from the film, all of which feature your favorite characters from the Potter universe. Me? All I want is a pair of those Luna Lovegood sunglasses. What's up with those? Maybe Warners will hand them out at Comic Con so I can run around, freaking people out. So trippy. So cool. Me want. Check out the gallery below.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrives in theaters on November 21.
I didn't get beyond the fifth Harry Potter novel, so I'm not familiar with what goes on in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I never would have thought, however, that it features an adorable version of Voldemort (which reminded our own Kim Voynar of the young Anakin of The Phantom Menace), nor would I have ever imagined, in my wildest years, that it is anything like Trainspotting. Yet that's what Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe told Empire regarding the upcoming movie adaptation. He specifically likened Half-Blood Prince to the heroin-heavy movie, admitting that it is indeed strange to mention those two films in the same sentence. He also stated that in his movie, "there's a fair amount of sexual energy and drug parallels."
Now, of course, that doesn't mean there's actual sex and drugs featured in the movie. And this wouldn't be the first time the Harry Potter films included suggestive imagery or content. One of the early installments (I think it was the original, Sorcerer's Stone) features a scene in which Harry experiments with his wand under the covers late at night. Like with a similar scene from Spider-Man, in which Peter Parker wakes up in his own sticky web, it's pretty obvious what real-world experience the scene is meant to parallel. So, I'm not surprised that as the Harry Potter movies get darker and the cast grows up that we'll be seeing other kinds of innuendo. And knowing the franchise so far, even if the suggestive imagery or content is easily deciphered, there's sure to be good messages tied in. It's not like Warner Bros. would permit improper subliminal encouragements.
This morning I got an email from Snitchseeker.com, a Harry Potter fansite, pointing me to some pics they have up of young Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays the evil Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise). Fiennes-Tiffin is playing Young Tom Riddle (aka the Future Dark Lord, Voldemort) in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Nice call on the part of the casting director to have a relative of Fiennes play the younger character.
You can see all the pics over on Snitchseeker; they're apparently from another film the young actor is in, Bigga than Ben. Fiennes-Tiffin looks oh-so-sweet-and-innocent -- he hardly looks like the sort who'd grow up to wreak havoc on the wizarding world, tossing around Imperius curses at his enemies and plotting to rid the world of good guys like Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. But then again, it's always the innocent looking ones who sneak up on you and turn out to be evil dark lords trying to take over the world, isn't it?
A bunch of new Harry Potter and the Half Blood Princepromotional images have surfaced, thanks to the intrepid reporters at SnitchSeeker. They were spotted at the New York Licensing Expo -- and, funnily enough, the coolest character shots came from the Opal Yarn display. (As a knitter who specializes in such things as Harry Potter scarves and Jayne Cobb hats, I find that quite gratifying.) Tonks' poster is pictured above, and it is definitely my favorite of the bunch. I have included Lupin and Ron after the jump as, frankly, the posters of Harry look vaguely recycled to me. But if you are dying to see the rest, along with some cool new Harry Potter merchandise, visit SnitchSeeker. And thanks to the gang there for sending these along to us. As it is a long time until November 21st, it is nice to have little peeks to keep us going.
Poor Sybill Trelawney.* First Umbridge has at her in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in front of all the students, no less. Now she's really been sacked! At least, she has been from the next movie. After hearing that Moaning Myrtle was left out of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Snitch Seeker reports that so is Emma Thompson's Trelawney. A Hamilton Hodell rep said: "She is not in the Half-Blood Prince."
As the site points out, this means that she won't be able to play helpful informant to Harry. (What she tells him, I'll leave out to save the eyes of those who haven't read the books yet.) With two important players out of the film, it begs the question of how the story will come together. I imagine their important roles in this part of the story will be given to another character, but who? We'll have to wait until November 21 to find out.
*The UK/Canada spelling is being used. I've no idea why it's spelled "Sibyll" for the US.
Some sad news from London over the weekend: Rob Knox, an 18-year-old actor who has a small role in this fall's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was stabbed to death during a brawl outside a bar late Friday night. According to London's Telegraph, Knox was defending his younger brother from the attacker, who had two knives and stabbed three other people besides Knox.
The attacker, a 21-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. His other three victims, all young men around the same age, had injuries that were not life-threatening, according to BBC News.
Knox (pictured here with his mother) plays Marcus Belby in Half-Blood Prince, which finished principal photography a week ago. Marcus is a minor character in the book, a seventh-year Ravenclaw student who tries unsuccessfully to join the "Slug Club," the potions professor's group of favorite students. The Times says Knox, who will make his big-screen debut in Half-Blood Prince, had signed to potentially play the role in the seventh film, too.
Harry Potter distributor Warner Bros. issued a statement of sympathy for Knox's family. Various British news sources have noted that Knox was the 14th teenager murdered in London so far this year, and that 11 of those deaths were stabbings.
Get what you can through older clips like the one above, because it looks like Moaning Myrtle is getting more to moan about. Snitch Seeker, a Potter fan site, contacted Shirley Henderson's agency, and they confirmed: "I'm sorry to report that Moaning Myrtle has not made it into the latest film." That's right -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will get none of the moaning cutie. In the realms of the plot, this means that Myrtle won't be able to console Draco Malfoy after Harry performs the Sectumsempra spell on the tow-headed wannabe baddie.
I'm beginning to wonder if the final two-parter announcement is not only to handle all that's packed inside the last installment, but to have enough room to give all the beloved characters their time on screen. At least, with two films, I would hope that they wouldn't have to cut anyone completely out. The only thing that sucks more than a character cut for time, is a character cut when the time is already doubled.
What say you, Potter fans? Is Myrtle an okay exclusion?
Okay. I know that fandom usually leads to fanfic stories that center on a million different sexual scenarios, but what's with the Harry Potter nudity? If 
This is the cover of the new Entertainment Weekly, which hit newsstands today, approximately 24 hours after its top story became outdated. As you've 
I recall reading about real-life experiments with invisibility 
Devout fans of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight Saga" might not appreciate the comparisons, but it's easy to see from the outside that the books are being treated by the entertainment industry like the second coming of Harry Potter. Only with vampires instead of wizards. Yet despite all the excitement surrounding tomorrow's release (or tonight's release, if you're a real fan) of Meyer's fourth and final installment, "Breaking Dawn," I don't see the series really being as successful. I can't imagine a whole new Twilight-themed music genre forming, for instance ("vampire rock" would just be goth rock, anyway). And even with all the screams heard in Hall H last week during the 
Further ensuring that the band Pulp should have new fans in the future, front man 
I didn't get beyond the fifth Harry Potter novel, so I'm not familiar with what goes on in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I never would have thought, however, that it features an adorable version of Voldemort (which 
This morning I got an email from Snitchseeker.com, a Harry Potter fansite, pointing me to some pics they 
Some sad news from London over the weekend: Rob Knox, an 18-year-old actor who has a small role in this fall's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was stabbed to death during a brawl outside a bar late Friday night. According to London's 
