New Featurette: Horcruxes in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2'

We're at just about more than a week away from the nationwide release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the last entry in the Harry Potter saga based on J.K. Rowling's series. Possibly THE best selling series of books and films to ever grace the mind and imaginations of millions of people worldwide, a countdown would be selling it short because the anticipation is nearly greater. To tide over the Harry Potter fans, we've been graced with a new featurette from the film explaining a vastly important item: Horcruxes.

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Daniel Radcliffe on the Two 'Deathly Hallows' Films

The Harry Potter series will reach its conclusion a few years from now. If all goes according to plan, Daniel Radcliffe, who was 11 when filming commenced on the first film, will be 23 the week after the last movie opens.

That movie is, of course, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, after the producers came up with the ingenious (and profitable) idea to split the 750-page J.K. Rowling book into two parts rather than try to squeeze all of that info into two-and-a-half hours. The problem is, where do you stop the first movie and begin the second? Unlike TV, which can end a season with a melodramatic cliffhanger, it's very unusual for films to complete without resolution. That defies three-act structure, and even though we know there will be another movie to fill in the blanks, open-ended movies are rare and usually disastrous. So there has to be some kind of story conclusion in the seventh of eight movies for it to be considered anything but a bridge. Daniel Radcliffe and producer David Heyman talked about that very thing when they sat down for a Half-Blood Prince interview with Empire. Heyman said, "We've played around with a couple of places and ultimately settled on a place that we think is very exciting, and I think quite bold, in that it's not necessarily where one might expect."

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New 'Half-Blood Prince' Poster

Trailer Addict just sent over a brand new poster for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, so take a look:

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Writer Worries About Future of 'Harry Potter' Films

You might hear of this fate befalling other movie franchises, but I think Harry Potter is safe. The Independent recently reported on an industry-wide tightening of the belts as studios and producers brace for rough times ahead. Since all the studios are part of other major conglomerates with millions of stockholders, it becomes more difficult to explain away huge losses on films. The paper referenced Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves as saying Warner Bros. was worried about the future of the films now that J.K. Rowling isn't writing new books to keep the public interest. Perhaps that's part of the reason Warner Bros. moved Half-Blood Prince to summer 2009 from Novemer 2008. However, with only two other films left in the most financially successful series, both of which represent the final chapter in the Potter saga, I don't think Warner Bros. is overly worried. We're talking about worldwide box office in excess of $4 billion for five movies. Even if the last three movies don't turn a big profit, the studio will still have J.K. Rowling to thank for $5 billion in business over 10 years. Look at it this way: In the U.S., Warners was the box office champ in 2008, raking in $1.7 billion or so. The Potter movies have already made three times that much. So while the studio may want to cut costs heading into the seventh and eighth films, there's simply no way it can ruin the studio. It's different than The Golden Compass or even Narnia, because the studios hadn't seen the kind of returns for those franchises early in the game to keep making them a financial viability. But Potter? I think that one will be O.K.

Emma Watson and 'The Deathly Hallows'

Harry Potter's Emma Watson is looking forward to shooting the last film in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but not because she's been playing the same character for nearly a decade. It just so happens that her favorite Hermione scene is in the last book.

...Now, even though that collection of novels has sold three gazillion copies, I'm obliged to tell you that there is a SPOILER that Watson discussed recently with MTV. So if you're not interested in reading that part, then these are not the droids you're looking for. You can go about your business.

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