It's official: Warner Bros. will film the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as two movies, because of the length and complexity of the book.
Titled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the movies are set to be released in November 2010 and May 2011.
They will be shot back-to-back by David Yates, who is directing the adaptation of the sixth novel, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," due in theatres November 21. Steve Kloves, who has written all but one of the "Potter" movies, also is returning to write the two-parter.
"Hallows," which sold more than 11 million copies in its first 24 hours of release, is J.K. Rowling's biggest book, weighing in at 784 pages. Adapting the novel would have resulted in truncating large swaths of it or making an extra-long feature in order to fit everything in.
The decision makes financial sense for Warners because the movies are surefire hits, and the "Potter" franchise has brought in billions of dollars for the studio.
All the major stars are confirmed for the final films, so that's a relief. We like the idea of splitting the last book into two parts. It's such a lengthy book that condensing it into one movie would require cutting out major plot points. And that would be a real shame.
