The Making of the Potterverse (13 page)

QUESTION:
So why did you do it?

HARRIS:
Because my granddaughter called me up and said, “Poppa, if you don’t play Dumbledore, I will never speak to you again.” So I hung up, called my agent and said, “Okay, I’ll do it. I can’t afford to lose that gig.” But having said that, I’m glad that I did it because when you get to seventy years of age, parts don’t come in all that easy. I mean, all the right parts for seventy-year-olds, enough of them, and it’s a wonderful project and it’s a wonderful part. I just have to condition myself to the fact that I’ve got to do more.

Bridget Jones’s Diary
costar Shirley Henderson was cast as the ghost Moaning Myrtle in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
.

J.K. Rowling with her husband, Neil Murray. (John D McHugh/AP Photo)

In an interview with the BBC, J.K. Rowling revealed that she had written the last chapter of the seventh and final Harry Potter novel. “This really wraps everything,” she said. “It’s the epilogue and I basically say what happens to everyone after they leave school, those who survive — because there are deaths, more deaths coming.”

There was an intention to turn the train used as the Hogwarts Express into a tourist attraction, but those plans were . . . derailed . . . by Warner Brothers’ lawyers.

J.K. Rowling celebrated Christmas day by marrying Dr. Neil Murray. This was her second marriage.

Casting rumors for the third Harry film,
Prisoner of Azkaban:
Ewan McGregor as Remus Lupin and Robson Green as Sirius Black. As it turns out, the rumors were false.

The success of
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
had a positive effect on sales of the novel it was based on (not that they needed the boost): the first novel sold 1.1 million copies in England, which was over 200,000 more than
Goblet of Fire
.

Maggie Smith was enthusiastic to a
USA Today
reporter in pointing out that Kenneth Branagh would be appearing in
Chamber of Secrets
. “Ken Branagh plays this rather glamorous teacher who comes in. I love the idea that the detention [the children] have to do after school if they’ve misbehaved is to answer all his fan mail.”

When the Producers Guild of America announced their nominations,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
was nominated in the category of the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award, going up against
A Beautiful Mind, Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge
and
Shrek
(
Moulin Rouge
took the prize).

In an interview with A&E’s
Biography
, J.K. Rowling discussed the fact that at least one major character would die in upcoming novels. “Death is an extremely important theme throughout all seven books,” she said. “Possibly the most important theme. If you are writing about evil — which I am, I’m writing about someone who is essentially a psychopath — you have a duty to show the real evil of taking a human life. More people are going to die.”

Warner Brothers announced that
Sorcerer’s Stone
would be making its DVD debut on May 28.

Jason Isaacs was signed to play Draco Malfoy’s father, Lucius, in
Chamber of Secrets
. The actor enthused, “This character is as
odious a character as I’ve ever read, and so this year I’ll be despised by children the globe over.” Elsewhere he added, “It’s my first film about wizards, and I don’t get to wear waist-length blond hair and walk around with a snake-headed cane very often. For me, the fun and challenge of playing this character was making Lucius as grotesque as I could, but somehow keeping him real. Lucius is a very dark character and a thoroughly unpleasant man. He’s the most confident person I’ve ever stepped inside and completely supreme in his arrogance and ruthlessness. He is pure evil.”

A first edition of
The Philosopher’s Stone
went up for auction in London, and was won for a bid of approximately $15,000 U.S.

In its final global box office tally,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
became the second highest-grossing film of all time (behind James Cameron’s
Titanic
). As a result,
Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace
got nudged down to third place.

Twenty-three-year-old Christian Coulson was cast as Tom Riddle, essentially a younger version of Harry Potter’s ultimate enemy, Lord Voldemort. Other casting for
Chamber of Secrets
included Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout, Mark Williams as Ron Weasley’s father, Gemma Jones as Madam Pomfrey and Sally Mortemore as Madam Pince.

J.K. Rowling took legal steps to stop a Swedish radio station from broadcasting excerpts from her novels. Noted a spokesperson,
“Our policy is that the Harry Potter series only be broadcast in their unabridged version to protect the integrity of the books.”

John Cleese expressed his pleasure at returning as the ghost Nearly Headless Nick in
Chamber of Secrets
. “I think my participation is going to be minimal,” he said, “but I’m still extremely happy to be part of it. The kids are just wonderful.”

Bloomsbury Publishing announced that there was no official publication date for book five,
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
. Said a spokesman, “She’s still writing it. Until she delivers the manuscript, we won’t announce a publication date. We’re hoping it will be this autumn. It probably will be later in the fall.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
found itself nominated for nine Saturn Awards.

A number of Siberian children became sick when they ingested a “Harry Potter Magic Potion” keychain that included copper sulphate. In response, Hallmark, who manufactured the item in the United States, recalled 7,000 units. Explained the Associated Press, “The product includes a “potion bottle” filled with purple-colored mineral oil and red-colored water. It contains petroleum distillate, a fuel-burning substance that can cause breathing problems and become fatal if breathed into the lungs, a safety commission spokeswoman said. Hallmark recalled the three-inch key
chain voluntarily. The product is made of styrene and has a green base, a gold top and the letters ‘HP’ printed on the bottle.”

Video stores were making preparations for the arrival of
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
on DVD.

Once Chris Columbus made it clear that he had no intention of directing
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
, Warner Brothers began looking for a successor and found it with Alfonso Cuaron, whose credits include the coming-of-age drama,
Y Tu Mamá También
.

Publication of
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
was announced for June 2003.