Harry Potter eBooks Coming Soon To Pottermore

Yes it looks like pigs are flying today. JK Rowling in association with her publisher and Overdrive have announced that they will be selling ebook versions of the Harry Potter series.

This seems to be a direct reversal of Rowling’s previous statements about how an ebook isn’t a "real" book and she wanted people to experience her books in paper.

Well, this quote from Rowling seems to totally contravene that statement:

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Latest Harry Potter Pulls In $22.2 Million At Midnight Screenings

Update: THR is now saying an estimated $22.2 million total from the 3,003 midnight performances.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince did record-setting business at midnight screenings on Tuesday night. The film made an estimated $20 million, which beats the previous record set by The Dark Knight ($18 million for those wondering). Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen broke the Wednesday night midnight record in June with $16 million.

Half-Blood Prince opens on the same Wednesday that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had been released on in 2007. And as you might expect — Phoenix grossed far less, $12 million for the midnight shows, but went on to make $139.7 million by Sunday. Some box office analysts are predicting that Potter might have a chance to make close to $190-$200 million in the same time frame.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Pulls in $22.2 Million at Midnight

Bill Nighy Joins ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows’?

Earlier this year, Bill Nighy was lamenting the fact that he, of all the actors in Britain, had yet to be cast in a “Harry Potter” installment. He put on a good show of bitterness that his friend and “Potter” director David Yates hadn’t called him up to appear in “Half Blood Prince.” “I’ve worked David Yates three times. He never writes. He never calls. He’s lousy,” Nighy joked.

Nighy’s persistence has finally paid off. Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron has alerted the Internet to a little piece in British newspaper The Independent where Nighy announced that he will at last be joining the wizarding world.

“I don’t think I’m allowed to say it but I’m going to be in the next Harry Potter film,” Nighy told The Independent. “I won’t say which character, but he’s a goodie. I just got the gig.”

Potter fandom is convinced that he’s playing Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic. Scrimgeour is certainly a good guy, but a flawed one. Though he’s not as wimpy as his predecessor, Cornelius Fudge, he’s more intent on creating an image of security than actually fighting Voldemort and his legion of Death Eaters. He does come through for Harry in the end, though I won’t say how just in case there’s anyone out there who’s still behind in the series.

Nighy himself is also behind on his “Potter.” When asked if he had read the series, the actor had to make a shocking confession. “Not yet, but I will! It’s rather like being in a Shakespeare that way, you know?” Well, he’s in for a treat, isn’t he? And so are Potter fans, as Nighy is a fantastic actor, and will just add that much more prestige to an already wonderful ensemble.

Are you happy to see Bill Nighy finally land a part in Harry Potter? Do you think he’s the perfect man to play Rufus Scrimgeour? Is there another character you would rather see him play?

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Daniel Radcliffe Talks About The Two ‘Deathly Hallows’ Films

The Harry Potter series will reach its conclusion a few years from now. If all goes according to plan, Daniel Radcliffe, who was 11 when filming commenced on the first film, will be 23 the week after the last movie opens.

That movie is, of course, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, after the producers came up with the ingenious (and profitable) idea to split the 750-page J.K. Rowling book into two parts rather than try to squeeze all of that info into two-and-a-half hours. The problem is, where do you stop the first movie and begin the second?

Unlike TV, which can end a season with a melodramatic cliffhanger, it’s very unusual for films to complete without resolution. That defies three-act structure, and even though we know there will be another movie to fill in the blanks, open-ended movies are rare and usually disastrous. So there has to be some kind of story conclusion in the seventh of eight movies for it to be considered anything but a bridge.

Daniel Radcliffe and producer David Heyman talked about that very thing when they sat down for a Half-Blood Prince interview with Empire. Heyman said, “We’ve played around with a couple of places 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.”

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Star Emma Watson ‘Intrigued’ Over ‘Deathly Hallows’ Split

It’s been hard to be a Harry Potter fan this year. Not only was the next installment, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” delayed until next summer, we were also shocked by the decision to split the final film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” into two movies. It feels like we might be waiting for the cinematic finale longer than we waited for the book!

The split didn’t just surprise fans – it was unexpected to the film’s cast as well. When MTV News spoke to Emma Watson, we asked her if she could update us on how the film will be divided.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I am as intrigued as you are. I am waiting at the moment to receive the script. It’s a tough call. I’m sure it will be some cruel cliffhanger.”

The delays of the next three films means that Watson will be saying a long goodbye to Hermione Granger, but she is emotional when it comes to leaving the character behind.

“It’s really mixed feelings,” Watson gushed. “It will be bittersweet. It will be very scary because it’s been such a massive part of my life. It will have been nearly over a decade that I’d been playing Hermione. It’ll be tough but I’ll be ready to go I think. I’ll be ready to take on other projects. It will be exciting.”

Readers, are you still in favor of the “Potter” split? Or would you prefer Hollywood gets through the books as fast as they can?

Source: mtv.com

Emma Watson Talks About ‘Deathly Hallows’

Shortly after “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” hit store shelves last summer, media outlets fell over themselves trying to find out what the young cast members thought of the final book. Though they have the good fortune of getting to play at Hogwarts, they didn’t have any insider knowledge as to the fates of their characters, and found out who lived and who died at the same time as the rest of us.

So, when MTV News caught up with the lovely Emma Watson, we couldn’t resist asking her impression of the final novel. Watson’s future in the films was the focus of some intense scrutiny as rumors flew that she was no longer interested in playing Hermione Granger – rumors she quickly put to rest by signing for the rest of the series. So what did she think of the book’s ending and her budding relationship with Ron? (Warning, spoilers regarding the final book after the jump).

First and foremost, what does she think of Granger’s marriage to Ron Weasley? “I was thrilled really. Ron was the right person for her to be with. I think it was amazing that they had kids. It was perfect.”

Has she discussed the romance (and eventual kiss!) with costar Rupert Grint? “God no! We haven’t discussed it. I think we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.” (Warning: Spoiler Alert Below) Read more

J.K. Rowling Wins Court Case

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has won a landmark “fair use” court case against the small Muskegon Michigan-based publisher RDR Books as U.S. District Court Judge Robert Patterson has ordered that RDR not publish The Harry Potter Lexicon, which is based on a Website created by Steven Vander Ark. The Judge ruled that The Harry Potter Lexicon infringed on Rowling’s copyright and awarded her $750 for each of the seven Harry Potter novels and for the two books she has written about the Harry Potter universe a total of $6,750. Read more

JK Rowling’s New Mini-Movie Based On New Harry Potter Story

J.K. Rowling has penned a brand new story featuring the characters in her fantasy best-selling Harry Potter book series. According to the Sunday Mirror, the story is being adapted into a mini-movie which will be shown at Universal Studio’s The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. The report says that all of the regular cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, are said to be involved. They will shoot the mini movie, and additional sequences and clips which will be included in the rides in Leavesden, Hertfordshire UK.

The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter is expected to open next year or early 2010 at Universal Studios Islands Of Adventure in Orlando. The 20-acre island will feature attractions, shops and restaurants set inside  locations such as the Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade Village and the iconic Hogwarts castle.

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