A bunch of lucky muggles got the chance to see around 7 minutes of footage from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the ShoWest Film Festival yesterday. Thankfully it didn’t blow their mains too much, and we have a number of descriptions online to give us an idea of what was shown. Some of the footage was apparently unfinished so it didn’t look as good as it could have, but it seems people enjoyed it nonetheless.

First up we have a Twitter reaction from FirstShowing:

Yep, just saw the Quiddich arena burning down and Harry flying with Hagrid on his motorcycle – footage from Deathly Hallows. Looks AWESOME!

I got chills seeing footage of Voldemort in Deathly Hallows without CG, just Ralph Fiennes with makeup & dots on his face. So frickin’ cool!

We saw a lot of him. In the forest looking for Harry. Then sitting down at a big table talking w/ Snape about Harry’s safehouse.

CinemaBlend wrote a description with a bit more detail:

Ralph Fiennes’ noseless Voldemort– had dots on his face marking the future digital alteration that really makes him who he is. But they weren’t just bold in what they showed us, but how they did it– the first scene of the extended trailer was Harry and Voldemort’s confrontation in the woods outside Hogwarts. Harry, bloodied and visibly terrified, approaches a cold Voldemort (flanked by Bellatrix Lestrange); Voldemort taunts Harry, “The boy who lived, come to die.”

We saw little bits of everything, from the seven Harry Potters escaping from the Dursleys house (totally surreal) to the attack at Bill and Fleur’s wedding to the escape from Gringotts on the pale dragon and even Hogwarts on fire. With unfinished effects it’s hard to really say how it all looks, though some of the most effective moments were the simplest– Ron and Harry’s fight in the tent, Harry visiting his parents’ graves, running away from the Snatchers in the woods, Harry defiantly telling Voldemort that he stays alive “because I have something worth fighting for.”

[One] of the final shots was of Hermione riding a broom, by herself, escaping from a fireball that’s likely the curse that Crabbe and Goyle set off in the Room of Requirement near the end.

Collider said the footage lasted between 4-7 minutes and mentions a few scenes the others didn’t:

The footage started with Voldemort walking in the forest with all of his followers around him. He was looking for Harry. While I assumed the footage was going to be just from the first Harry Potter movie coming this November, I think the opening was from part 2 and it was from the big climatic battle between Harry and Voldemort!

So we see Harry coming towards Voldemort partly beat up and with a look of nervousness. It was then we cut away…

Other bits of footage were Harry, Ron and Hermione in the forest fighting as Ron tells Harry that since he already lost his family his pain isn’t as important (or something like that). We also saw tons of pre-viz mixed in with shot footage like Harry flying with Hagrid and Voldemort chasing him with other Death Eaters. I also saw a scene of all the Harry’s from the beginning of the book. Other bits were the kids in London walking around, Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour, Harry and Ginny kissing, and so much more.

And finally, ComingSoon remembered seeing some giants smashing things up:

There was some footage of the trio running through the Forbidden Forest being chased by something, a quick anamatic of the giants smashing up some building (Hogwarts?) with their clubs, and footage of the kids being chased by a dragon. Another unfinished scene showed Hagrid on a flying motorbike that was rocketing through the side alongside what looked like Hermione and other Hogwarts denizens on broomsticks, as well as others riding Thestrals (those flying horses), seemingly being chased by a flying Voldemort or another Death Eater. With all of this happening, the friendship is also having trouble withstanding all of the strain, and in one scene, we see Harry and Ron really going at it, even more than we’ve seen them arguing in the past.

The footage ended with what might be the final confrontation with Voldemort as he asks Harry, “Why do you still live?” to which he gets the response, “Because I have something to live for.”

Some have been speculating that the first official teaser trailer for Part I will be attached to Clash of the Titans at the beginning of next month, which I hope is the case. Both are Warner Bros. movies and both are in 3D, so it would be a good fit. It’s just a case of whether they have enough footage ready.

In the February issue of Empire Magazine there is an on-set preview of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 which will be released in November. In the article Daniel Radcliffe talks about filming the ‘Seven Potters’ sequence, which fans of the book will know takes place towards the beginning of the film.

In order to protect Harry from Voldemort and the Death Eaters Ron, Hermione, and several other characters drink some Polyjuice Potion in order to take the appearance of Harry, and to act as decoys. Not only will the scene feature seven Harry Potters on-scene at the same time, the following events include aerial wizard battles, chase scenes down busy highways, and deaths.

“We are actually filming what is probably the single most complicated sequence we’ve done in any of the films. Everyone’s changing into me and nobody really knows what’s going on. I’m dressing up as everyone else ad they’re dressing up as me, and, well it’s very confusing.”

“It’s the hardest film to do, absolutely. I’m not sure anyone would disagree with me on that one. But as long as you equal that kind of toughness with your enthusiasm, then it sort of goes away”

Director David Yates, who Empire describe as “considerably greyer” than the last time they saw him, spoke about how different Part 1 feels compared to previous movies:

“Jo [Rowling] described the book as a bit of a road movie so the first of the two movies is gonna feel very much like that. I watched the first assembly of Part One just last week, and the most interesting dynamic is that you’re taking these three characters we know quite well away from the comfort zone of Hogwarts. And you really can’t underestimate the odd power of that.”

USA Today got their hands on the first official image from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. It shows Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint looking a bit wary, and they have every reason to be:

“They’re paranoid,” says Grint. “It’s quite a scary world because the Snatchers and Death Eaters are running around everywhere. Harry, Ron and Hermione are just camping out in random places, living rough, in regular clothes.” Snatchers and Death Eaters are minions of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

Grint adds, grinning: “Me and Dan actually have some stubble.” His facial hair served as a kind of invisibility cloak for the lanky, redheaded Grint, who went unrecognized by fans recently while on location in the Welsh countryside. Dubbed a “road movie” by producer David Heyman, Hallows was envisioned by director David Yates as more grounded in reality than the previous Potter movies.

“It’s going to feel very real,” Yates says. “We’re going for a vérité approach. Being away from Hogwarts, they’re like these three refugees on the run. They’re out in the big bad world, facing real danger, unguarded by those wonderful benign wizards at Hogwarts. They don’t have a home to go to.

“We’re kind of pulling away from the magic a bit and bringing more reality to it,” he says.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 will be released next November and fans can get their first look at the movie on the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Blu-ray which will be released next week. You can pre-order yours here!

With Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince being released on DVD and Blu-ray in just over a week the Potter cast are out promoting again. In the video below Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint are interviewed on the set of Deathly Hallows (which will be split into two) and they talk about illness, wand battles and how the next films will be different to the previous instalments.

In other Deathly Hallows news director David Yates revealed that Daniel Radcliffe will be baring all again. No horses will be around this time, instead it will be in one of Ron’s visions.

(Possible spoilers for those who haven’t read the books)

In one scene, “a horcrux [carrying a piece of Voldemort’s soul] defends itself by producing nightmarish visions, and one shows Hermione and Harry embracing and kissing,” explained Yates. “It’s something intriguing and sensual for Rupert to react to, and Dan will be bare for that.”

In the book Ron has to destroy a horcrux carrying a piece of Voldemort’s soul, and to try and prevent Ron from succeeding it projects visions of Harry and Hermione getting it on, playing on Ron’s fear that the two have feelings for each other. I’m sure Yates will be aware of the rating so I doubt we will be getting anything too graphic or sexual, although I wonder if Hermione will be unclothed too?

Last month The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro said that they were “very close to saying one name”, having narrowed down the search for Bilbo Baggins from 4 possible actors, and that he expected to make an announcement in the next few weeks. Well it’s been more than a month now and we are still none the wiser. However, over the past few days casting speculation has been flying around the internet suggesting that either Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), James McAvoy (Wanted) or David Tennant (Doctor Who) will land the role and that an announcement will be made at the San Diego Comic Con next week.

When I read the names of the ‘possible candidates’ I immediately ruled out Radcliffe. The Hobbit will start filming next March and Mr. Potter has a franchise he needs to finish. It won’t work. Thankfully Peter Jackson has squashed these rumors as he revealed to Empire that no announcement will be made next week, but they are starting to think about casting:

“No, we won’t be announcing Bilbo for a little while,” he said when we asked about a Comic-Con announcement. “We’re starting to think about casting, but we’re knee-deep in the script right now. And when we do go to actors, they’re probably going to ask to see a script, so we’re powering ahead with getting the first draft done.”

So we have Guillermo del Toro saying they have narrowed the search down to one actor and we will know within weeks, and then we have Peter Jackson saying that they were just starting to think about casting. It appears we have conflicting reports here. Whatever the case is i’m sure they know what they are doing and they will make an announcement when they are ready.

If Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released last year when originally intended it would already be out on DVD and Blu-Ray by now, but as it got pushed back 8 months we’ve had 8 months worth of extra marketing. I’ve lost count of how many posters have been release, however I won’t complain about the trailers because they’ve made me a born again Potter fan (I stopped watching after Azkaban but have recently caught up). The Half-Blood Prince marketing guys can finally see the end in sight, and have released a featurette which focuses on Harry and Dumbledore. We also see behind the scenes action and a bucket load of new scenes. Watch below!

This will be the last Half-Blood Prince footage-related post until it is released in two weeks time. Potter fans have waited two years for this, i’m sure they don’t want it spoiling with a barrage of clips days before it is finally released.

Because of The Dark Knight’s success last year Warner Bros. decided that they’d made enough money for one year and pushed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince back to this summer. However, it wasn’t just the fans who were disappointed with the decision. It took director David Yates a while to warm to the situation, as he told the L.A Times recently:

At the time, I was so adrenalized, I was so caught up in the process of getting the film in on deadline and making the movie on a certain schedule, and then the decision to delay was a huge anticlimax. There was a huge sense of disappointment, I must say. We finished the film a year ago, so it’s very strange to go all this time without seeing it with an audience, which is what you make it for. But the studio made their case for the move and I came to understand and appreciate their reasons and they are very good at delivering these movies and understanding the process of making a film successful and I think it wise to defer to their judgment.”

“You find yourself fiddling with it much more in post-production, naturally. There’s a good and bad to that. You could keep adjusting things for the rest of your life if you allowed yourself to do that. That can be unhealthy and at some point you have to say, ‘Here is the cut-off date.’ I know fans are eager to see it and it’s been interesting for us to come back to it now, even as we are busy filming the next installments.”

The interview took place during a break from filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, which will be split into two films. Yates revealed what they are currently filming and gave us an idea where the film will eventually be sliced.

“We’re here in the forest, we’ve just finished the scene where Harry, Hermione and Ron are captured by the Snatchers after being chased through the woods. The Snatchers are brutal and scary but they aren’t the most intelligent of creatures.They’re trying to figure out exactly who it is they’ve caught.”

“Things can change when you edit, of course, but the idea now is that it will be not long after the sequence that we are filming here today. That’s what we’re experimenting with. We’ve had three or four different ideas about where to cut off the seventh film. Traditionally, the movies have ended with a death or a bereavement, some sort of passage or arrival. This time we think we will end with more a cliffhanger. Again, though, that’s the thought as of this moment.”

As I haven’t read the books this means nothing to me (i’ve just watched the films), but i’m sure true Potter fans will know what this cliffhanger may be. Yates also praised Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint for being so ’stable and level-headed’. Deep down society expects young child actors who earn millions and find fame to end up doing hard drugs and become paparazzi fodder. Thankfully for the Harry Potter franchise these actors have grown up to become sensible and generally cool people (not that I know them, i’m just assuming).

When July rolls in it will have been 2 years since Order of the Phoenix, so expect Potter riots during the opening weekend, and maybe a few deaths.

Empire magazine recently spoke to Daniel Radcliffe and Potter franchise producer David Heyman about the split that will occur during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. As expected they don’t give anything away, although they do say that it will be “very exciting” and “a very tense cliffhanger”.

“We’ve played around with a couple of places,” said Heyman, “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. You want to give a sense of completion, on one hand, but a sense that there’s another piece, more to come. We tried one and then Steve (Kloves, screenwriter) came up with the idea to try it another way and when we tried that, it felt just right.”

Daniel Radcliffe added that the split is “at a very tense cliffhanger.”

Daniel Radcliffe spoke to Empire magazine about the sixth movie, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. He told them about a swarm of undead creatures who guard an item that Harry needs to defeat Voldermort, which will turn up in the third act of the movie.

“They’re horrible,” Says the boy wizard Daniel Radcliffe of the beings who look like humans made of only skin and bone and want to get their hands on Harry. “They made me think of bodies from concentration camps. It’s that terrible look of a body that’s wasted away, but not a skeleton. There will be child inferi too. They’re probably the most frightening things of any of the movies so far”.

Director David Yates also spoke about the opening scene.

“We’re opening with a big attack,” director David Yates told Empire when we visited the set. “It’s talked about in the book, but we’re going to show it. We’ll bring a major London landmark crashing down. It should be quite spectacular”.

I haven’t read the book but i’m guessing it is either Big Ben or the London Eye that gets attacked. Which one is it Potter fans?

The image in this post is new, and the full version can be seen by clicking here, where you will also see a bloody Harry front cover for the August edition of Empire magazine. When I say a ‘bloody Harry front cover’ I don’t mean it in an angry tone. He does actually have blood on his face.

Jo Rowling has been making headlines lately with her fight against RDR Books about an unauthorized Potter Encyclopedia they want to print… and she wants to STOP. Yet, production on the sixth (of EIGHT!) Potter movies is still well under way.

As you all know, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince follows Harry as Dumbledore shows him the secrets to Voldemort’s past, and the very way to destroy him. Here is a behind-the-scenes peek at the filming of HBP:

Can’t wait!