Few adaptations have been pored over and scrutinized for adherence to cannon as intensely as the Harry Potter films. Every omission and deviation gets pounced upon immediately. Speculation ran rampant that each of the later, longer volumes would be split into two films to accommodate J.K. Rowling's sprawling storylines, until it was finally announced that the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, actually will be. In a few weeks, I'll take a look at the prospects for David Yates' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, due this November. This week, I want to look back at the sole Potter installment to date where the film not only did right by the book, but expanded it, improved it, brought it to life. And that would be Alfonso Cuarón's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I'm usually lavish in my praise for the film; I'm fond of saying that I like it better than Cuaron's purportedly more "serious" works like Children of Men and Y Tu Mamá También. What I don't often get a chance to mention is that I'm much less enamored of the novel on which it's based. Don't get me wrong -- Rowling's Azkaban is still Harry Potter, and as such it's fast, and funny, and filled with all sorts of wonderful, world-building detail. But when I read it, shortly after tearing through The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. It seemed a little contrived, I thought, and overdramatic; a little cheesy. The climax involved a lot of ALL-CAPS YELLING to signify big emotion, the whole thing feeling like it was about to turn into a wizard soap opera. And I remember rolling my eyes at the time-travel, which felt like a cheat despite being gracelessly telegraphed a dozen times.

New Image removed at request of studio; we've replaced it with another image from the film

Above is a new photo from this fall's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; there's another one after the jump. There's rarely anything substantive to say about photos from upcoming movies, but with Harry Potter, the look of each film has been pretty distinctive, and often instrumental to the series' success. No one's yet topped Alfonso Cuarón and Michael Seresin's work on Prisoner of Azkaban, but I have high hopes for Half-Blood Prince, which was one of my favorite Harry Potter novels. Part of the reason I like it so much is that J.K. Rowling had the guts to plunge its characters into absolute, nearly hopeless despair, particularly toward the end. The movie could be powerful if it finds the courage to embrace that darkness.

David Yates, who turned in an impressively serious, almost businesslike Potter installment with Order of the Phoenix, returns for Half-Blood Prince. The grainy gloom of the photo above suggests to me that he might have the right idea. Unless I miss my guess as to what part of the film it's taken from, it depicts one of the most pivotal moments in the entire series. The movie needs to get it right.

You can click through for the second photo, or click here for an image released back in March.

It's funny. I consider Lois Lowry to be one of those instrumental writers for young girls, but I only read Anastasia Krupnik (and maybe one more). Regardless, one of her other big series was The Giver trilogy, which was once again trying to reach the big screen last March. Well, it seems that the production has hit another snag, one that is bad for Lowry fans, but great for followers of JK Rowling and Harry Potter.

On her blog, Lowry says that David Yates was going to helm The Giver after finishing the next Potter flick -- Half-Blood Prince. However, she goes on to say: "But he has just decided he wants to do the final Harry Potter first, thereby postponing The Giver by several years. Maybe the opening of this film could be held simultaneously with my celebration-of-life service after I succumb to old age? Or the producers will decide to get a different director. Stand by. But without holding your breath."

If this is true, it means that Yates will be behind three of the series' films -- Harry Potter and the ... Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows -- in other words, all of the final films. Hopefully he won't have to deal with any romantic turmoil on the set!

Speak out, Potter fans! Do you want him tackling the final installment, or is there someone else you would rather have helming the Hallows?

[via Ace Showbiz]

Not only is playing a Harry Potter character one of the most sought after jobs for British actors, it apparently is a gig some of them wish they could keep. In an interview with MTV, Kenneth Branagh, who played Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, revealed that he was hoping to see his character's name prominently featured in the seventh and final book, Deathly Hallows. That way he could return to the movie franchise, something he had also hoped for with the making of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (the character appears briefly in that book). But Branagh didn't simply want a little cameo in the final movie, he jokes that he should have been revealed to be Harry's dad. At least, I think that's what he meant. I'm not sure how that plot revelation would have worked out, but I guess since the actor-director was kidding, it doesn't matter.

Branagh did also reveal that he was considered to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but it ended up going to Alfonso Cuarón. He said the main reason he wanted to direct an installment was because of the kids, who he liked working with a lot. He thought they had more potential than they were exhibiting -- perhaps he can cast some of them in one of his Shakespeare adaptations down the line? I think Emma Watson would make an excellent Viola/Cesario -- which I personally think they finally got to show in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, under Mike Newell's direction. However, when asked whether or not he'd like to helm the adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Branagh said he thinks Warner Bros. will likely choose one of the series' previous directors (Columbus, Cuarón, Newell or Yates), any of whom he thinks would do nicely. Anyway, Shawn over at MTV Movies Blog put out the question of what character the fans most wanted to see reappear in the movies. You could leave him a comment about that over there, or feel free to tell us below.

I guess it goes to show how little I've been paying attention, but I could have sworn Narcissa Malfoy already showed up in the Harry Potter movies. Of course, it could also mean I'm easily mixing up the books and the adaptations, because I must be thinking of the character's first appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -- the novel not the film. But Narcissa, who is mother to Draco (Tom Felton), wife to Lucius (Jason Isaacs) and cousin to Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) features prominently in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- the novel -- and so she will be making her cinematic introduction in the movie version. And now we've got word on who will be playing the role. According to BBC, Helen McCrory will play Narcissa, who in Half-Blood Prince is dealing with her husband being a prisoner of Azkaban and her son being a teenage brat.

Audiences are likely most familiar with McCrory through her role as British first lady Cherie Blair in The Queen. She also appeared recently in Becoming Jane, as Mrs. Radcliffe (somewhat a Potter-riffic name, right?), and Casanova, in which she played mother to Heath Ledger's title character. The interesting thing now is that McCrory is actually playing the sister of the character she was originally all set to play. If you remember back to the original casting announcements of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, McCrory was first attached to play Bellatrix Lestrange, a part that went to Helena Bonham Carter when McCrory became pregnant and had to bow out. And you may recall that earlier this year, the part of Narcissa was linked to Naomi Watts, whose reps quickly denied her involvement. As much as I loved the idea of Watts playing the role, I'm intrigued to see McCrory take it on. I wonder, though, will she have to dye her hair, or am I once again revealing my lack of attention to the books? Half-Blood Prince, which is currently in production at the helm of Order of the Phoenix director David Yates, is set to hit theaters in little over a year from now (21 Nov. 2008)

How do you turn an award-winning, six-hour British television mini-series directed by David Yates and starring Bill Nighy into a feature-length motion picture and expect it to work? Well, first you get Brad Pitt to star, which the producers of State and Play State of Play* took care of months ago. Then, you hire a director who is good at providing a filter between two cultures, like Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald. Universal has just announced MacDonald's attachment, with shooting set to begin this fall). An added bonus for the remake would be to now cast Nighy, Kelly Macdonald and James McAvoy -- he's no stranger to working with Kevin Macdonald, of course -- to reprise their roles (I'm not sure who Pitt is filling in for). Of course, this isn't necessary nor does it make sense for a film about American politicians.

It will still be difficult to completely adapt the mini-series, especially editing the length down, but Matthew Michael Carnahan has apparently already turned in a script the studio is happy with. The plot involves the murder of a congressman's mistress, which is a story we've previously seen in one form or another on television and in film. Regardless of what some people thought of The Last King of Scotland (I loved it), Kevin Macdonald should be the one to make this thing into one of those rare good Hollywood products. Pitt probably won't get the same out of working with Macdonald as Forest Whitaker got (especially since everyone considers it to have been all Whitaker's doing), but I'm sure he's fine with Angelina having the only Oscar in the family.

*Thanks to Gerry for noticing my mistake with the title.