Original Harry Potter director Chris Columbus wishes he had directed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Having beaten out directors like Steven Spielberg and Terry Gilliam for the coveted job of bringing the popular Harry Potter book series to the big screen, Columbus helmed the first two installments in the franchise: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. However, the filmmaker stepped down from the director's chair after the 2002 sequel, and subsequent films saw Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates take on the role.
The final book in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was ultimately split into two films. Part 1 released in November 2010 and Part 2 followed in July 2011. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, which centred around the famous Battle of Hogwarts, went on to break opening weekend records at the time with $169 million. It also became the highest-grossing film of 2011 with $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office. Now, Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 remains the highest-grossing film in the Harry Potter franchise, with the second highest-grossing being the one that started it all, Columbus's adaptation of The Sorcerer's Stone.
In a recent interview with Jake's Take, Columbus detailed why he stepped away from the later installments. The director explained how he initially planned to helm all of the Harry Potter films, but the schedule was incredibly grueling. After producing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Columbus considered returning to direct the fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Ultimately, however, the director said he would have liked to take on Deathly Hallows, but believes it turned out for the best as he loved David Yates' version of the two-part epic. Read Columbus' full comments below:
"I thought I was going to stay for all seven initially. Each film was 160 days back to back, so basically after 320 days of shooting I could barely form a sentence, so I knew I had to produce Azkaban. So while I was producing Azkaban I thought, 'Maybe I'll do the fourth,' but then at that point, the kids wanted to their family in Chicago and go to school. And so I thought, 'I'll probably return for something later on down the line.' It never happened but I do wish I had- probably Deathly Hallows. But that's my favorite of the series and I think David Yates did a perfect job, so you didn't need me."
Given that the Harry Potter franchise spanned ten years, it would certainly have been a massive undertaking for Columbus to direct all seven installments. The director took a three-year break after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, likely to spend time with his family, and made the 2005 film adaptation of the broadway play Rent during that period. Columbus also tried his hand at another famous fantasy story by adapting Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief in 2010. However, the film was panned by fans of the books and original author Rick Riordan, who now is promising a Percy Jackson series on Disney+ that he says will be a more faithful adaptation.
Columbus has yet to return to the wizarding world on film. The Harry Potter spin-off series, Fantastic Beasts, have all been directed by Yates, who led four of the Harry Potter movies. Columbus has expressed interest in helming a film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but that project is unlikely in the near future as Warner Bros. focusses on finishing up the lucrative Fantastic Beasts movies. As the Harry Potter film saga celebrates its 20th anniversary, the potential return of the franchise's original director (and perhaps a cameo from the iconic starring trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint) to the franchise would generate huge levels of excitement from a generation of loyal Potter fans.
Source: Jake's Take
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