The UK’s Mail on Sunday is reporting that the big screen adaptation of the seventh and final Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, may be split into two separate films. This decision is an artistic one, rather than financial.
Deathly Hallows is 784 pages in length, compared to the first few books in the series which were less than half the length. I, along with most fans of the book series were rather surprised that Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix had not been split into two films. Goblet was over 700 pages, while Order neared the 900 page mark. I think both of the films suffered from plot compression, over exhausting viewers who had not previously consumed the book versions. I applaud Warner Bros for finally taking this leap, if only it could have happened a bit sooner. It’s too bad that the studio didn’t at least allow production of extra scenes and sequences for a super extended versions on DVD (ala Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Extended Editions).
January 14th, 2008 at 8:55 am
This is what I hoped they had done with all of them! Now are they gonna be the same team for each or are they gonna change up directors and stuff?
January 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Smart decision but tricky in marketing, which is why they didn’t do it earlier.
January 14th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
best. idea. ever.
January 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I concur. I mean, I personally could sit through a four+ hour HP movie (especially if Alfonso Cauron was behind the wheel), but I don’t expect most could/would.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Should they decide to split it into two movies
my hope is they film them at the same time, so
that we don’t have to wait more than a year
for the conclusion. Though waiting an extra year
is the one thing that bums me out, but for a good
end battle scene it will be worth it.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
I don’t think splitting them up is a good idea, and although it would solve the time issue, it would create a lot more problems. I personally don’t see what the problem is with a long movie, I love long movies! I felt dissapointed by how much they compressed Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix (the latter moreso than the former) and I think fans of the Harry Potter book series, and movie series wouldn’t mind if they were longer, if they included everything. Heck, I sat through Return of the King twice in a row it was so epic.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I think this wasn’t the smartest decision ever; what cliffhanger could you add to the first part of book seven? Harry Potter consists out of one, clear line: Summer, school, conflict, back to the Dursleys.
If you cut it in half, the whole plot-line collapses!
I don’t agree with this decision at all!