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| Potter filming under way in city The film will be released in November Some of the world' most renowned actors are in Gloucester to star in the sixth Harry Potter movie. Part of Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince is being filmed at Gloucester Cathedral. Celebrities, including Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the eponymous hero, Alan Rickman, and Dame Maggie Smith, are on set in the city. It will be the third time the Cathedral and nearby King's School have been used for the Potter movie series City council leader Paul James said: "It's great for the city. "When it comes to film you don't get any bigger than Harry Potter. There's a real buzz at the school, it's a fantastic time "We get a lot of tourists coming to Gloucester as a result of the previous films being shot here. It certainly puts us on the map. "But the filming also gives the economy a boost. Local people are hired as extras, cast and crew shop in our shops and eat in our restaurants. "There's a real buzz in the city, especially for the youngsters, a lot of whom are big Harry Potter fans." More than 170 pupils from King's School, aged 11 to 18, are starring as extras in the multi million-pound production. A spokeswoman for the school said: "We're obviously thrilled to be hosting the sixth film. Some of the sixth-formers were in the previous films, so they've grown up with Harry Potter. "There's a real buzz at the school, it's a fantastic time." Filming for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince started in the UK last September. The film is set for release in the UK on 21 November. |
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| Final Potter film 'split in half' The seventh and final Harry Potter novel will be adapted for the big screen in two parts, reports suggest. Producer David Heyman told the Los Angeles Times it had been impossible to cram Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows' 608 pages into a single movie. "Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book," he said. Fans of the series have been left disappointed in the past when key scenes, including Quidditch matches, were excised for the film adaptations. Star Daniel Radcliffe told the Los Angeles Times that splitting the final book in two was the only sensible option for the film-makers. 'Pounding story' "There have been compartmentalised subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut - although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans," he told the paper. "The seventh book doesn't really have any subplots. It's one driving, pounding story from the word go." According to film trade paper Variety, the final two films will be shot back to back. The first will reportedly be released in November 2010, with the second part hitting screens the following May. The Kill Bill strategy of releasing two instalments will also boost profits at film studio Warner Bros. The first five movies have made $4.5 billion (£2.2 billion) worldwide - making it the biggest film franchise in box office history, surpassing both James Bond and Star Wars. Filming for the sixth chapter in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, began in September last year. It is being directed by David Yates, who will also helm the final two films. Story from BBC NEWS: |