One of the best casting decisions in recent memory is Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. The kid just looks like the spitting image of the literary icon, and he wears the scar and glasses like they're completely natural, like they've always been there. But can you imagine the Potter world without Radcliffe? Like, could you imagine William Moseley being the guy that gets to befriend Hermione and Ron, come onto Cho Chang,* chum up to Dumbledore, and take on Voldemort?
The actor recently talked with MTV, and mentions that he was up for the part of Harry, but that "I don't quite fit the bill, I think." Moseley certainly would've been a much different choice. Luckily, losing that role left him open to play a British child in a different epic, fantastical gig. He plays Peter Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia franchise.
He admits that he wonders what it would have been like, but that "if I could have chosen one part for myself, I would have chosen Peter every single time." So from an actor's perspective, he's happy with Peter, but I wonder, who is your preferred hero?
*Edited thanks to Monster. I don't know why I keep calling her Chen....
It's official! Harry Potter, otherwise known as Daniel Radcliffe, is heading to Broadway. Back in September of last year, I posted about the Brit's plans to reprise his starring role in Equus on Broadway, dropping trou for a whole new set of fans. Now Yahoo has confirmed it.
The young actor will make his Broadway debut on September 5 of this year, in previews for a limited, 22-week run that will stretch from September 25 to February 8 of 2009. Yes, folks, that means he'll be in New York City as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters. I'm thinking that the chances for a big premiere in the Big Apple are pretty darned good -- and just think -- if you book tickets for the play around November 2, you can have a double Radcliffe whammy!
Thea Sharrock is directing the play, which is based on the true story of a troubled young man who blinds horses with a metal hoof pick. Richard Griffiths (who plays Uncle Vernon in the Potter franchise) will also reprise his role as the psychiatrist who treats Radcliffe's troubled lead. Now the question becomes: Will Daniel's nudity and smoking create an uproar here as well? He is now 18, so that should stop some of the skin qualms, but the Big Apple certainly isn't the most smoke-friendly city these days.
After months of speculation, Warner Bros has revealed to the L.A. Timesthat they plan to split the final Harry Potter book into two films. One will be released in November 2010, the second in May 2011, and will simply be titled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I / Part II.
Aware that this looks like a grubby money-maker by cynics (myself included), Daniel Radcliffe insists that's not so. "I think it's the only way you can do it without cutting out a huge portion of the book. There have been compartmentalized subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut -- although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans -- but the seventh book doesn't really have any subplots. It's one driving, pounding story from the word go."
Producer David Heyman says it was a difficult decision to make for the studio. "I swear to you it was born out of purely creative reasons. Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book. You can remove scenes of Ron playing quidditch from the fifth book, and you can remove Hermione and S.P.E.W. [Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare] and those subplots . . . but with the seventh, that can't be done." Author J.K. Rowling has given her approval, much to everyone's relief.
I do admire that they are so dedicated to giving us the complete Deathly Hallows story that it wears down my cynicism. I disagree that there aren't things that couldn't be trimmed down -- Harry, Hermione and Ron's months upon months of hiding out in a tent, for one. But the fact that it was such an edge-of-the-seat read makes me worry they'll lose that momentum by splitting it in half. And what of the age factor? Will Radcliffe look 35 by the time this is finished?
In the end, I don't care how they release it. I just want it to be the best film of the entire series.
Gallery: Harry Potter Cast: What do they look like now?
What do you do when your best-grossing movie franchise is near its end? You try to prolong it, of course. This may be what Warner Bros. has decided to do with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the adaptation of the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's series. According to The Mail on Sunday, "crew working on the sixth Potter film, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, have been told J.K. Rowling's seventh book, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, will be released in two halves." But the decision -- if true -- is claimed not to be about squeezing more money out of the boy wizard. Instead the studio would split the final book over two films because the book of Deathly Hallows is way too long to appropriately condense it into one feature-length release. Of course, the book of Order of the Phoenix was even longer and they made that one into a single movie.
The move to extend Harry Potter 7 so that it's Harry Potter 7 and Harry Potter 8 seems to make sense for both financial and artistic reasons, and it also seems appropriate after the confirmation that The Hobbit would too be spread out over twofilms. Considering none of the other attempted fantasy franchises have been received very well, the idea that both the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Ringsfranchises would be extended appears to be a good one for both Hollywood and the fans. Who cares if Warner Bros. does want to do this for the money? You hardcore Potter lovers know you'd rather have another movie to watch, especially one that allows more of your favorite scenes from Deathly Hallows to make it in. Apparently Rowling agrees that the adaptation of her book needs to be at least longer than 4 hours -- and anybody thinking they can keep the kids seated for a single, 5-hour movie would have to be crazy. And speaking of crazy, that's exactly what The Mail on Sunday is for thinking Steven Spielberg could be the "big-name director" expected to helm the two-part Deathly Hallows and for thinking that Warner Bros. could seriously be hoping for an Oscar-worthy finale.
Now that Daniel Radcliffe has grown up a bit, he's looking to balance off those last few Harry Potter films with stuff a little more "adult." For one, he took on a role (and off his clothes) in the staged play Equus, while he also starred in a cameo during the HBO show Extras as himself (who also happened to be a sex-obsessed teenager). Now, as we begin to start the cycle all over again and anticipate a sixth Potter flick, the UK Guardian reports the dude is among those being considered to star as a war journalist in a film called Journey. They say, "The film, Journey, will see Radcliffe play Dan Eldon, a 22-year-old who was among four journalists stoned to death by a mob in Mogadishu in July 1993. Eldon left behind 17 journals, thousands of pictures and a legacy that has won admirers including Madonna and Julia Roberts." Nice, meaty role, says me.
On another front, it seems fans are getting just a tad restless now that the seventh and final Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is over and done with. The people want more! They want an eighth book! And they will torture poor J.K. Rowling with future Potter questions for what appears to be the rest of her life. According to IESB, this time it's Rowling's own children who seem to be pressuring her into penning an eighth book. But Rowling, who's made approximately five gabillion dollars off the boy wizard, isn't exactly biting ... yet. She says, "If - and it's a big if - I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I've already told his story. But these are big ifs. Let's give it ten years."
Just a few more shopping days left until Christmas, and I'm just about done. We always get a couple DVDs for the kids stockings. When the sugar high from all the cookies and candy has worn off, there's nothing better than a new DVD (or two) to settle the kids down and give the grown-ups a little much-needed quiet time (or time to watch those movies Santa left in our own Christmas stockings ...). If you're looking for a few things to round out your own shopping, here are seven sure-to-please DVDs for kids of various ages: High School Musical/High School Musical 2 -- If you have a tween girl in your house, all things High School Musical are likely at or near the top of your list. Disney knocked the ball out of the park with the resounding success of this musical for kids last year, and followed it up with High School Musical 2 (I liked the first one better, but my kids like them both). While the High School Musical films may not be that well-reviewed critically, these DVDs (trust me on this) top the Christmas lists of tweens and teens everywhere. Just be prepared to watch them over and over again, until the song "We're All in This Together" is permanently embedded in your brain and you want to claw your eyes out find yourself singing it in the shower while you practice your cool dance moves. Psst ... I hear Erik Davis knows all the lyrics and dance steps by heart, and he doesn't even have kids.
There's less than a year now until we get the next installment of the Harry Potter series and finally nip at the end of all this wizardry. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled to come out on November 21, 2008 -- the week before Thanksgiving. So with less than 12 months to go, it's time to start getting that swarm of tantalizing pictures. First up isn't so tantalizing however. In fact, there's a decent chance you wouldn't recognize it as a new one -- it's right there, to the right. You can click on the image to make it bigger.
Harry looks like, well, himself, and I have to agree with Empire, who put the picture up -- Daniel Radcliffe looks a little bit younger. Perhaps it's the fact that he's fully-clothed, and not showing off his man-boy pecs, or that he isn't smoking and hugging horses. It could also be the airbrushing. Is that really necessary? You don't want to remove signs of age from a kid. He shouldn't have to struggle with that until he's at least...25?
But there you have it. Hopefully the next one will be much more exciting, because well, there's a whole lot of stuff coming up in this installment. Even darker than the previous stories, this tale has the clan back at Hogwarts while Voldemort and the Deatheaters gain strength. Dumbledore uses some fancy magic to prepare Harry for the days ahead, while Harry also gets an earful of Ron and Hermione's arguments. Draco, meanwhile, has the chance to become a tried-and-true bad guy, rather than just a wimpering bully, and Snape now teaches the Defense of the Dark Arts class. And if you've read the series, or happened to have seen that spoiler t-shirt, you know that there's also one heck of a twist on the way.
Oh yes, that's little Danny Radcliffe. It's kind of hard to imagine him as a little kid now, between the darkness and turmoil he's gone through as Harry Potter, and the fact that he showed all of his naked, birthday-suit goods to audiences on the theatrical stage. Still, he wasn't always a teen hero, or ballsy young actor. There was a time when he was just a young boy, one who could only dream of future fame; one who had no idea that he'd one day be one of Britain's richest teens.
Courtesy of Before They Were Famous, the above clip has Radcliffe as part of the audience in BBC Saturday's children's show, Live & Kicking. Ignore the year, which looks like "1988" in the actual clip -- Radcliffe wasn't born yet, and the show wasn't on air until 1993. Whoops! Still, that's Daniel in all his young glory. The actor is definitely one of those people who will probably look the same their whole life.
Casting has been finalized for the next Harry Potter flick, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Warner Bros. has sent around a full press release officially announcing all those involved. Who's Daniel Radcliffe? Anyway, newcomers to the series include Jim Broadbent as Potions Professor Horace Slughorn (c'mon, who didn't expect Broadbent to show up in at least one Potter flick?) and the previously-rumored Helen McCrory, who'll be playing Narcissa Malfoy. Included in the release are the casting of Lavender Brown, as well as young Tom Riddle and the teenage Riddle. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will arrive in theaters on November 21, 2008; you can check out the full press release below and two new behind-the-scenes featurettes on the film over here.
"Casting has been completed on the much-anticipated sixth installment of the Warner Bros. Pictures Harry Potter film franchise, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." The announcement was made by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.
David Yates, who directed this year's summer blockbuster "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," returns to direct "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." David Heyman, the producer of all of the Harry Potter films, is producing the film, together with David Barron. Screenwriter Steve Kloves, who scripted the first four installments of the film franchise, is adapting the screenplay based on the book by J.K. Rowling.
David Heyman said, "I am really excited that David Yates and all our cast are back for the sixth film and welcome some wonderful new additions to our ensemble. We all share a commitment to Jo Rowling and to Harry Potter fans around the world to keep making these films the best they can be and, as we head into the final installments, I can promise that this level of commitment will not waver."
All of you Harry Potter fans who were disappointed with the absence of quidditch in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix can rejoice. There is definitely sequences of the wizard's sport in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I haven't read the book nor do I know exactly how much quidditch figures into the next installment, but I have just watched a new featurette on the film's production, which specifically focuses on quidditch costumes. Titled "Quidditch: Back in Style," and hosted by the site Worst Previews, the video features costume designer Jany Temime presenting a new padded quidditch uniform. She says that because the characters are now older, they are more physical in their play of the sport, hence the need for shoulder pads and such.
Another Half-Blood Prince featurette now available is titled "Set Magic: Creating Wool's Orphanage." In this video, we see production designer Stuart Craig discussing the plans for and construction of, yes, Wool's Orphanage. For those out of the loop, Wool's is the childhood residence of Tom Riddle (aka young Voldemort). There's models, sets, and other art department goods, but unfortunately for you fans there's no sign of the cast. At the beginning of each video, however, there is a bit of movie footage, plus Daniel Radcliffe saying he's glad to be back. Of course, we've only just begun to get the real goods from Half-Blood Prince, which only began filming two months ago. Earlier today we got casting news for the character of Lavendar Brown, and on Monday we found out who is playing Narcissa Malfoy. So, be sure and stay tuned to Cinematical for plenty more exciting Potter stuff as we receive it. And remember, we have a whole year before the thing comes out, so try to be patient.
A while back, we told you that Zodiac scribe James Vanderbilt has been hired to pen the script for Spidey 4, but as of right now, the leads -- Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco -- haven't been confirmed yet to star in the film (though something tells me Franco won't be returning for "certain" reasons). That got us thinking ... what if Tobey Maguire decided to move on from playing the Webbed One? Who else could fill that Spidey-suit? Would it be best to go for someone close to Maguire in physical type, or try something completely different? From High School Musical hottie Zac Efron, to boy-wizard-and-more Daniel Radcliffe, from the "superbad" Michael Cera to the multi-talented Elijah Kelley ... who could you see taking on the role of Spider-Man if Maguire decided to retire from the role?
In about five or ten years from now, these kids could be the next Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They're young, eager and starring in some of the highest grossing -- and in some cases, most critically-acclaimed -- films of the past few years. Who are they? What have they done? And where are they going from here? Moviefone has just launched their first annual list of 25 Under 25, showcasing the hottest up-and-coming actors under the age of -- you guessed it -- 25. While some of the names, including Shia Labeouf (age 21), Keira Knightley (age 22) and Emily Blunt (age 24) are well on their way to a long, successful career in front of the camera, can the same be said for the rest of them?
What about Daniel Radcliffe (age 18)? Sure, he's predominantly known as Harry Potter, but only for two more films. His other big-screen adventures haven't quite found a home yet (did anyone see December Boys?), and he'll have to segue from Potter to another big movie or franchise -- albeit one with more of an adult theme -- if he wants to prove he's more than a cute kid with glasses (or does he wear contacts now?). How about Megan Fox (age 21)? She's certainly got the sexy Angelina Jolie factor going on, but is she a good actress? Will she choose the right roles, or will she settle for stuff that puts her in tight clothing, and asks her to crawl around on the ground a lot? Michael Cera (age 19) is creating lots of buzz following Superbad and even more for the upcoming Juno -- but will his "Look, I stumble over my words a lot" shtick tire out in a year? Personally, the one person on this list who, guaranteed, will either be nominated or win an Oscar within the next couple of years is Ellen Page (age 20). She's more than impressed me with every role she's taken on, and is a fantastic actress with so much potential. I'd almost compare her to a young Jodie Foster, but I think she'll be better than Foster and cannot wait to see the stuff she takes on going forward.
He may be most famous for his role as Harry Potter, boy wizard, but Daniel Radcliffe isn't just The Boy Who Lived anymore. Moviefone's Patricia Chui recently had a chance to chat with Radcliffe via AIM about Harry Potter, the roles he's taken recently to break out of the Potter mold, how he felt about doing his first sex scene, what he'd name a band if he had one, and ... how he'd look wearing the Annie wig. Think you know everything there is to know about Radcliffe? What's his birth sign? What sport (besides Quidditch) is he obsessed with? And what nickname does he absolutely hate being called?
Most importantly, what's it like to be one of the most famous faces on the planet? Read Patricia's chat with Radcliffe yourself, and let him tell you all about being "Dan" in his own words ...
With only two more films left in the Harry Potter series, could Daniel Radcliffe be eying another franchise? No, I'm not saying the boy wizard is going to replace Daniel Craig as an adult James Bond, but some folks (like the ones talking to JoBlo) seem to think Radcliffe is the number one target to star in a crop of new films revolving around the super spy as a kid. And, well, I kid you not. The films would be based on a series of books written by Charlie Higson, all of which follow a young James Bond while he's attending Eton College. It's there that he winds up getting himself into a whole mess of trouble. Although this isn't the first time someone attempted to tell the story of a young Bond (there was one book published in the 1960s, as well as a television series in the early 90s), it's believed that Higson's series (which kicked off with Silverfin back in 2005) has become popular enough to warrant a film ... or several.
But there's a problem with this whole thing. When we're first introduced to Bond in Silverfin, he's only 13. I know he's attending Eton College (as in, "Dude, he's 13 -- how is he in College?), but the school takes kids between the ages of 13 and 18. So, unless they're going to take some liberties with the books and jack up Bond's age, there's no way Radcliffe can pull off a 13 year-old kid. Especially after he's finished completing the next two Potter films (which, in case you're wondering, will put him at about 20 years-old in real life). And if they plan on following Bond through a number of films while he ages up, becomes smarter, stronger -- the whole nine -- then I imagine they'd have to find a kid, like they did with Radcliffe for Potter, that could grow up with the series ... and have it all make sense. But who even knows if they'd want to touch a young Bond now that the new and improved Bond is doing so well at the box office. So, chalk this up as a big ol' rumor and we'll see what happens in the months to come.
One of the best casting decisions in recent memory is Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. The kid just looks like the spitting image of the literary icon, and he wears the scar and glasses like they're completely natural, like they've always been there. But can you imagine the Potter world without Radcliffe? Like, could you imagine William Moseley being the guy that gets to befriend Hermione and Ron, come onto Cho Chang,* chum up to Dumbledore, and take on Voldemort?
It's official! Harry Potter, otherwise known as 
After months of speculation, Warner Bros has revealed to the 
USA Today has a piece up today about 
What do you do when your best-grossing movie franchise is near its end? You try to prolong it, of course. This may be what Warner Bros. has decided to do with 
Now that 
All of you Harry Potter fans who were disappointed with 
A while back, we told you that Zodiac scribe James Vanderbilt 
He may be most famous for his role as Harry Potter, boy wizard, but 
With only two more films left in the 
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SCOOP: Spider-Man 4 and 5 Might be Shot at the Same Time!
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