Harry Potter Film Producer David Heyman Talks Splitting on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Jun 18, 2009

Posted by: SueTLC

Heyman

Film Journal has released a new profile of Harry Potter film producer David Heyman. In the article, David Heyman speaks about the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, noting that since production is well underway on the final two Harry Potter films, its difficult to go back and focus on movie six which will be released in a few weeks. Speaking from the set of a recent location shoot for Deathly Hallows involving camping for Harry and Hermione, Mr. Heyman says:
“It’s really funny talking about Six because we’ve moved on”we’re
deep into Seven now.”Right now, at this point in time”shooting a scene between Harry
(Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) on a sunny
location in Burnham Beeches where the two have temporarily pitched
their tent in their road travels”the 48-year-old producer is steady
and holding at seven-point-five. He continues:”My
head is so much into Seven, and then, all of a sudden, you have to
come back to Six’ he vamps by way of an explanation. “What I love
about the Potter films is that each is different from the
one that precedes it. In fact, I think they’re all quite different.
They focus on different stories, and you have new characters who
come in and bring them to life.”

David Heyman says of HBP: “This one is
much looser. We take the time to explore the characters. Of course,
there are big action scenes, big set-pieces, but what I think
people really love in Harry Potter films are the
characters”Ron, Harry, Hermione”spending time with them. That’s
where the real pleasure is, I think.”

He also goes on to discuss the decision to split Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, again refusing to say where the splitting of the two films will take place. Quotage:

It helps, of course, that Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows
is coming at him now as two films, doubling his
pleasure all over the place, but finding the precise line of
demarcation “was something we wrestled with. I’m not going to
reveal where it is just yet, but there are a couple of places. I
initially was not in favor of doing two films.

“In the seventh book, Harry is at the center of so much of it that,
when we looked at what we would cut, it was impossible. There was
almost nothing that we could comfortably cut, so it became a very
clear decision that we had to make two films. “Once we made that decision, the challenge is to find out where you
cut it. I think we’ve made a really interesting choice. It’s
acknowledging that actually this is one book, and there are two
parts to the story, and I think it will be really exciting. “Actually, there’s almost enough material in here to make three
films, but I think that would have probably tipped it over the
edge. The book is a very rich canvas.”





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.