Who do you think would be the best person to direct the movie?

I think is should be Mike Newell.

It looks like he has done an amazing job with the GOF

What do you think?

I've edited the topic title for you and pinned it because this is likely to be a much-looked for topic.

I have absolutely no idea, truth be told. I've always loved Chris Columbus's films more than any of the others and until I see GoF, I'm reserving judgement on Mike Newell (looks like a pile of pants so far, I have to say, though I'm possibly the only on the face of the planet who thinks so ).

If I had a choice, considering the tone of HBP, and considering that I would greatly prefer the film to reflect Harry's story rather than the gut wrenchingly awful teenage angst, I would probably have to say someone like Jonathan Demme maybe, or Christopher Nolan, who did an absolutely amazing job on Batman Begins.

Of course, if it were a perfect world, then I'd love it to be directed by Quentin Tarantino.. Oh, what I wouldn't give to see his take on the Sectumsempra scene...*sighs*

Possibly Brian De Palma too...."Carrie" was an absolute tour de force so he certainly understands teenage development.

But it will probably be someone we've never heard of...

I'd love to have Chris back... Alfonso screwed PoA up... I don't know how Mike Newell did in GoF but the first two movies reflected the books very much, the third didn't tell the story very well, and the fourth looks like the Headmaster is frustrated with his non-silver beard.

I have to agree with Louise, that Chris Columbus films are amazing. I wish that he would come back as a director for HBP. I have no idea what to think of GoF right now.. I'm displeased, yet I can't wait to see it from the pics I've seen. Anyway, I don't know many directors, so I have no idea..

I agree with Resilda and Louise...although, I'd rather have Chris direct the 7th, not the 6th.....it would be more special. Alfonso's was....a good movie, but not magical enough. So, I'd say...bring in someone new for the 6th one...it's not my faveorite, so I suppose it would be the best one to take a risk on.

i have no idea.
I guess, they will have a new face and after the HBP move they(WB and Jo) will decide who should direct the last.

I dont want Chris C. to come back. I really liked Ps and CoS but they were a bit too childish. They were word by word representations of the books. I have no problem with that but i think HBP is different. Not a fairy tale anymore.
Alfonso's PoA was not bad, but he left out too much important stuff. I think the fans wouldnt forgive that once more.
Mike Newell: I will come back and tell about him after 1. December.

I defienetly want Colombus back, the first two movies had such a good feeling to them, and I don't get why people say that they were too disney like, they're the two least darkest books, all the books gradually get darker. Plus, the first two did have darkness, the whole voldemort part in the first one, and the chamber of secrets in the second one. I hope Colombus comes back, maybe he'll bring back the original scenery, without a giant bridge, having hagrids hut down a hill, and the whomping willow a mile from the school. And just maybe he'll give DD white hair and scarlet robes.

MOD EDIT : Hi there, please read the rules - personal abbreviations ("w/o") are not allowed in the forums. Your post has been edited.

I really hope Mike Newell comes back for Half-Blood Prince. I think he did an excellent job with Goblet of Fire, and he'd do a great job keeping that realism in HBP. Columbus is a good director, but he primarily does children's movies - it would be too childish to bring him back. Cuaron did a decent job of Prisoner of Azkaban, but he left out a lot of important things that could've stayed. Newell for President!

idk if this will sound stupid but why not get someone like Peter Jackson to direct the films.. i mean he did a superb job with the lord of the rings trilogy, and stayed as true to the book as he could i dunno if thats out of the realm of possiblity but why not him?

Firstly, I think it's ridiculous that people go around saying "Alfonso screwed PoA up" and other comments to that effect. You need to realize that your opinion on Alfonso's adaptation of PoA is nothing more then YOUR OPINION, and stop treating it like fact. This is suppose to be a discussion so if you don't like Alfonso's take on PoA you need to say "I didn't really care for PoA because..." Because "Alfonso ruined PoA!" means nothing to anyone but yourself.

That said, I really liked PoA and it is probably my favorite of the HP movies- and yes, I've seen GoF. Except for the last couple chapters, HBP is a relatively calm and non-action driven book, because of this, I think whoever the director is needs to be someone who can capture the subteltees and emotions of the characters in the books, and build off that. Peter jackson makes excellent movies, but he isn't much for character developement, and that is something that HBP will need a lot of. The same can be said for the Wachowski (sp?) brothers. The movies have changed since Chris Columbus directed them and I feel like if he stepped back in to the directors seat the movies would regress. And I don't say that meaning that they will get worse, I mean that they will be more like the first two, and the 6th book is nothing like the first two. HBP is about growing while discovery secrets of the past- a lot like PoA- and that's why if I had to pick a director who has alraedy directed an HP film to come back I would choose Alfonso. Alfonso is good at capturing emotional growth and I think HBP has a lot of that. However, there are many other directors who can do the same so the producers will probably not go for Cauron, because they like the movies to always be changing and progressing.

I agree with you Solorund, Alfonso didnt screw it up he did it as he though would be the best way to adapt it, it may not be the best one yet but it wasnt terrible.

right, back to the point...
i would like Newell to direct again but wouldnt it be awesome if Steven Speilberg or George Lucas did. lol im fickle

-Sarah

Um, apart from me?

I was under the impression that Chris Coumbus screwed up the first two. I mean, sure, he followed the books more, but they were shorter books. I really didnt like the sets, special effects (not all of them)...The last two definitely feel more english boarding school-like...but THAT Dumbledore...I'll tip my hat to Richard Harris there. And there are all those faults... go to the movies section .


But no, by 2007, I'll have finished 6th Form and on the lookout for my first major film . And besides, I'm a wee bit obsessed, so the heart of the book would be with me wouldn't it?

Oh, please, no. No more Chris Columbus and Alfonso Cuaron.

I was thinking about that for a while now, and i came to the conclusion that Id really love to see Tim Burton directing HBP (or the 7th movie - depending on how the series end).

I know, he is a bit weird sometimes but i think it'd be really nice to see a really dark HP movie (HBP would be the perfect for him. He'd do a brilliant Sectumsempra scene not to mention the ending).

on the other hand, Helena Bonham Carter (his girlfriend, partner, whatever) would be the perfect Merope

initially i wud like Chris Colombus do the remaining movies cuz he directed the 1st 2 movies well and according to the books, unlike the other directors..

it wud b very interestin if directors like Peter jackson cud direct harry potter..i hope the remaining movies rnt directed by newell or alfonso

The only important thing left out by Cuaron was the fact that the Marauders were Lupin, Sirius, James and Peter. Personnaly I think Cuaron did an awesome job. Plus, even that detail may not even be his fault but the screenwriter's fault. And since there's still 3 movies to come Harry may end up learning who were the marauder further down the road.

Colombus had the easy task of directing two movies with a linear time frame and based on two books that were much easier to be adapted.
I don' think he should come back for more. I don't think his style fits the upcoming movies.

I'd prefer Cuaron or Newell back than Colombus

I'd like to see Alex Proyas direct Half Blood Prince. He did an awesome job on The Crow, Dark City and I,Robot. He's dark and his imagery would fit the Potter world.Plus he would probably get Graemme Revell to do the score wich would totally kick ass

in my point view, the best harry potter director is chris colombus. and ı hope he turn back for sixth film...
and my favourite films are philosopher's stone and chamber of secrets.
ıf he'll be director of half-blood prince,it will be great!

I have always thought that Chris Columbos made CoS and PS more magical then the other two (PoA and GoF)
He is very good at making the film really exciting, and the spells didnt look so colorfull either

I think the best person to direct the 5th movie would be Peter Jackson. He would be the best because he would follow the whole book not cut anything out. He sticks to the story. you could tell form his other movies like Lord of the Rings and King Kong . I think he is the Only director who will do the book Justice. JMO!!!
Zahida

In my opinion, Alfonso did a good job with the PoA movie. BUT, the GoF was missing scenes i would have liked to see. i understand though, that if he were to follow the whole book and put it into the movie it would have been way much longer! GoF mostly included the main points but they were all messed around with which i think were different from the book. But that just my opinion...

Whoever directs the HBP will probably also be hired to direct the final film, since Rowling has said the two will form almost a continuous story. I do believe that the choice will be made from Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, or David Yates. For the last 2 films, a familiarity with the previous material--books and film--will be essential. Here are just some thoughts on the four possibilities:

Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone (1 and 2)showed a real sensitivity to the world of childhood in these films plus the first two Potter films. However, the darker world of the adolescent Harry--especially in HBP--would seem to be beyond his reach, based on his work so far. He had fun creating the Hogwarts world, but the big stress in the last 2 films will be on character development. The three young actors have said Chris taught them a lot that they then put into use under the other directors. So, to have him back would be like having a great elementary school teacher try to teach high school classes.

Alfonso Cuaron did ask more of the characters, but he got entirely too focused on the Hogwarts scenery. Columbus had created a perfectly wonderful series of sets--but Cuaron had to move Hagrid's hut down some great hill so that the actors were constantly running up and down the hill to no end except looking awkward. He loved playing with effects like the light on the playground picking up water droplets or the spinning gadgets in Lupin's room that nearly took over the scene. The shrunken heads alone were a gimmick that were unnecessary. He's a fine director in his own right, but the director of the last two has to focus on the characters and not his own agenda.

Mike Newell, as has been said by the young actors, brought the first truly English sensibility to the films--and he also has the longest list of directing credits. While FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL is usually at the top of the list, I was so glad to see that he directed AMAZING GRACE AND CHUCK, a film of great warmth and depth. GOF was a real challenge for ANY director, since the length could not help but result in a sense of hurrying. However, that is more the province of the screenwriter, and while Kloves is amazing, GOF must have kept him up at night. Newell's focus on the actors was mentioned by both Dan Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who called him "an actor's director" (as did David Heyman. The main weakness was Dumbledore, as many have pointed out, and I don't know that we will ever find out whose idea it was to make DD so out of control. If it was Newell, it was a serious mistake--at times DD was even drooling in his wild moments. Of course, my major concern is that Gambon seems rather proud NOT to have read any of the books--which is insult enough. And that isn't Mike Newell's fault. I'm eager to see his director's interview on the DVD--none of the other directors have done one.

So, unless David Yates, with his very short list of work, performs a miracle in OOTP, I would hope Mike Newell returns to complete the series. His work with characters was especially telling with McGonagall this time--I loved the touches of humor he added to her. Even Snape was allowed a bit of fun in pulling up his sleeves to prepare for grabbing Harry and Ron's heads. No external shrunken heads here--the glints of humor came from the actors. Even Moody got a shot at making faces behind McGonagall's back. (Although I have to say that two directorial choices left me cold: the fork in Flitwick's hand and Maxine EATING something from Hagrid's beard! Yuk!) Still, his interviews show a true British gentleman who made all the new actors feel welcome and inspired the old ones.

Maybe that's the best idea--sit all the actors down and ask THEM who they would want for the final two films.

I think Peter would do a fantastik film to.
The thing that was so fantastik whit lotr was that he cut loads off stuff from the book but still made everyone even the fans pleased.
So i would like him to do that with HP6 too.

Mike Newell would definitly be the best person to do the sixth Harry Potter movie. If it was that Alfonso Cuaron guy again, I would not see it. I was very disappointed with the third movie, and thought that the fourth movie was much better. Since Mike Newell already is a director of American movies, he would be better for the job. Cuaron is more specialized in foriegn movies, meaning that he is not as familiar with the Harry Potter series. I saw many interview on television, internet, etc. and thought that Newell would do a better job on the last two movies. Great job Mike!!!

Hmmm out of the Harry Potter directors?

Although I enjoyed the 1st and 2nd movies, I think that the the 6th book (although with a bit of humor/romance) is A LOT darker than what Colombus directed. Although he did set a nice standard, he made Harry's life seem a lot more carefree, whereas the 6th movie I should think would be much more serious.

Personally, I would love to see Alfonso come back, Newell did a good job with Goblet of Fire, but I just didn't feel as "into it" as I could have. Alfonso's directing really hit a note with me, it's the one of those situations where I can't really explain why... I guess he made me feel more connected with the characters than the other two directors.

Out of all of the other directors out there? I really can't say... there are so many brilliant directors. But I can say that I would not want it to be someone very high profile such as Steven Speilberg or George Lucas, they're a bit "hollywood" for me I suppose.

The more i think about it the more that i want Half Blood Prince to have a dark gothic, more grown up feel. So i think obviously Peter Jackson would be a good choice, but i would have thought Goblet Of Fire was more his cup of tea (hahaha didn't get the joke whilst i was typing it!). So i agree with Sofie Tim Burton would be great for HBP or i have to say i'd like even more to see Werner Herzog at the helm, (going to watch Fitzcarraldo tonigfht!). Apart from that Tarentino would do a good job, and as you said Michelle Dessler, i'd just love to see Sectumsempra! But QT hasn't done anything under an 18 so i don't think he or Eli Roth is the man for the job. So i'd personally like to see Werner Herzog (Aguirre:The Wrath Of God, Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, Even Dwarves Think Big....etc).

I got a new id`e what about Tim Burton.
His movies have a tone and style that i think fits HP and a plus he understand characters(he wont have DD shout like Mike had him).

Well, personally I would love to have Peter Jackson direct HBP. He would be faithful and true to the book, which is what I hate about Alfonso and Mike, they didn't stay faithful and true to the books. Also, he isn't afraid to make long movies. LotR and King Kong were all around 3 hours. HBP needs to be long. It would be about time that we get a long HP movie. He knows how to create the feeling that something big is going to happen, but you don't know what will happen or when it is going to happen. And I think that he would make Sectumsempra awesome, along with the entire ending. Plus, he is an amazing directer.

~Prod

I think Alfonso Cauron should return and do the last two. He really connected with the actors and made them raise their bar higher last time. He is a master storyteller and I think he'll do great, especially in HBP with all the teenage hormones floating around!

I think the idea for Tim Burton and Peter Jackson is great. They are also two magnifisent directors and has a great vision. Especially Peter, who has proven that he can take an adapted screenplay like LOTR and really make it he's own. He puts all his energy, work and creativity into his movies and I think he has the ability to put HP in the Oscar league. Really, I think he can do it. Does anyone agree with me?

And maybe Andy Sirkus can play Dobby! Only joking!

Oh no! God no! Another movie done by Newell and I sit down to cry. As a movie of Harry Potter GoP left aside too much (and I´m noy talking just about the scrip that is a different person´s fault).
Although, in my opinion, Cuaron did a really good work with PoA. I think his return would not be equivalent to an evolution in the aesthetics and the development of the HP movies.

I read a couple of posts where it is suggested Tim Burton as director. I considered that it´s a brilliant idea. He have this great sensibility within the dark scenaries and the ability to show the tensions generated inside the characters from them. His style isn´t disney kind and I think his films are like dark fairy tales.

I agree, also, with the opinion of Peter Jackson as an excelent director for the LOTR saga. But I´m not really sure about how good he is structuring characthers´ emotions; and this adaptation is going to need that a lot!

I don´t know is this is going to sound absolutely crazy... but I think that Tarantino isn´t bad at all for the two final books.He and Robert Rodríguez made in Sin City a spectacular job. The manage of color and the development of the story... wow!

P.d.:Probably I´m really paranoic with aesthetics details because I´m an artist (or at least a project of one, hahaha).

I think Joss Wheden would be soooo good. He did buffy the vampire slayer and angel and a few other things. I read an interwiew one time saying that he wouldnt abject to it. He said that he likes the books and he refuses to see the movies because he doesnt want them to change his feeling for the books! he would be great!

I'd like to draw your attention to some important facts.
1. The 6th book (and a film as a result) is very strong emotionally. It shoul be dramatic. So, Columbus won't be able to shoot it. His films are childish (oh, please, don't try to proove that they are not), full of light and atmospheric. It's his style, his area. That's great, but not for the 6th HP movie. Newell, Cuaron.
2. The story is much darker, but it should NOT be a horror. It should be well designed, but not very frightening. BURTON.

It seems nobody posted anything here since a long time ago, but I ould put my take on this one.

I personally agree for the first point about the strong emotional level and drama of HBP. It sure will be darker, but I don't believe that Tim Burton would do that contrary to what I used to believe. I was thinking of having a director who is already known for bringing to life a dark and dramatic rendition of Batman's story. Yes, I was thinking of Christopher Nolan who did a marvelous job for Memento and Batman Begins. With Nolan, you can be sure that the story will be well-directed in terms of emotional level and drama.

Somebody wrote about Peter Jackson and I appreciate the idea. However, I think he would fit better for the 7th movie when battles will reach epic proportions and greater scales. I think Jackson's contribution for the Harry Potter finale might give the HP franchise to required experience to make a great figure at the Oscars.

[font=Impact][size=4]I hae heard a rumour that Chris Columbus would return if and ONLY if Emma Watson , Dan Radcliffe and Rupert GRint starred in it.

it would be amazing if Tim Burton did it because he is like my favorite director and he is so aweosme at what he does and makes all of his films amazing. but if it is not Tim then i guess i would want Mike Newell Back he did a great job on the 4th harry potter film harry Potter and the goblet of Fire and i think he is directing the 5th one that sould be really good.

I would absolutely love it if Alfonso Cuaron came back to do another Harry Potter movie. He did such an amazing job with Prisoner of Azkaban, that I was bummed that he didnt do Goblet of Fire. If Alfonso wont come back it would definately make my lifetime if Tim Burton directed a movie. He is just so talented. But guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I totally agree that Dumbledore was totally out of character in the fourth film, why was he so angry, and the portrayal of Filch was all wrong too, I'd stick with Columbus or Alfonso. I loved the first two for their accurate portrayal but then the changes to the Hogwart's grounds just confused me in the third and fourth so maybe Columbus is the right man for the job? He seemed to capture the Hogwarts I imagined

For me personally, I feel Tim Butron would be a splendid choice, and I will give my reasons:

1-He has a flair for things that dwell in darkness (Sleepy Hollow,Batman,Corpse Bride,Nightmare before X-mas)

2-He has a wicked sene of humor (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the above mentioned)

3-He brings to the table Danny Elfman, whom I feel would bring that hint of humor and darkness to the orchestral score

4-Helena Bonham Carter directed by her beau would be an added treat.



After I finished reading the HBP, I could picture only Tim as director. I dunno..it's just my OPINION here..lol

Anyone agree/disagree?

what about M. Night Shyamalan?(sp?) he would definately do the job on the cave scene at the end of HBP and add that gothic, suspensful feel(they talked to him bout directing 1, but he turned it down), but i'd be happy with Peter Jackson or Tim Burton too.

I wrote a post a while ago about who I would see as director for HBP and beyond: while others root for Tim Burton and M.Night Shyamalan, I'd go for Christopher Nolan for HBP. Nolan's work for Batman Begins showed me how strong he is for working around a dark plot with some action and a great deal of human emotion involved in the drama.

In reply to darknyytt, having Christopher Nolan for HBP would bring some great music from Hans Zimmer (Batman Begins) and James Newton Howard (Batman Begins, King Kong) respectively for the action and emotional parts of the musical score. For myself, I can imagine a great scene of action in HP with the track titled Molossus (by Hans) played as BGM.

Danny2004, I have always enjoyed Hans Zimmer's work, especially with the stuff he did with Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance. He has an amazing touch with scoring and I completely agrere that he would be an excellent choice as well. I also agree Chris Nolan would be a good choice as director. After seeing "Batman Begins" several times I can see how he would add that darkness to the HBP. (shrugs)..I dunno...maybe my suggestion for Tim Burton is because I have always loved his work. But hey, I think we can agree that WHOEVER directs it better have a sense of the dark, the humorous, and everything in between. A good blend of scary and not scary, ya know?

I totally agree. I like them both, but after listening to the Hostel commentary, they definately like blood and gore, which can also be seen in just about every other movie they made.

Brain De Palma did a great job with the Untouchables, Mission Impossible, and Scarface, and his new one, The Black Dahlia, looks good.

And I really liked the darkness of Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan), so I think he would easily fulfill the darkness factor for HBP.

Burton, Spielburg, Lucas... I cant see them / dont want to see them direct a HP moive. Theyre all excellent directors, but Burton's recent stuff (Wonka for ex) is too cartoonlike for me. I think HP needs to be very very realistic. I think that the key to making HBP awesome is achieving the right mood, and visuals play a huge role in that as well as the acting.

Speaking of acting, I feel that the huge battles at the end of OOTP and HBP are more like a dance. Kind of like a giant sword battle. It has a graceful feel to it. Does anyone else agree? In my opinion, that will make or break the feel of the movie. It's things like this that I think the director should take great care in developing.

PS... I really really really really do not want M. Night to direct. The 6th Sense was good, but after that I think they went way down hill. The subjects of his later stuff just wasnt interesting.

i would be happy with any one but mike newell. while i liked GOF, ithink the other directors did better jobs at conveying the story. my only problem was that SS AND COS movies were to happy and bright. however HBP is very like COS so maybe columbus could pull it off. i personally loved POA but i doubt cuareon would come back. for new directors? m. night shamylan or tim burton. maybe even yates, if he doent screw up OOTP. we shall have to see.

oh... what about gulliermo del toro?

tim burton? couldn't really see him directing harry potter. just a question, why do they keep switching directors for harry potter anyway?

DarkWizard said it clear: the next director, whoever he is, must have a strong sense of the dark and some humor as well. However since the darkness and scare levels would be high in HBP, I would (unfortunately for some) scratch Tim Burton off my list despite the many great movies he directed because of the "cartoonish" approach he had since... forever.

M.Night is also counted out for me because of the way his films went downhill since The Village. I would in any case aim for a director on a winning streak with his movies.

Guillermo Del Toro for director after Blade II and Hellboy? Why not? He would be also a good candidate. But in any case, my #1 contender for the title remains Chris Nolan for all he have done in Memento and Batman Begins. The sense of darkness will be a very important component in choosing the next director.



I am happy to see that a Hans Zimmer fan showed his/her face here. I really like the language Hans' musical scores brings to a movie, but also combine his work to James Newton Howard's expertise (just as in Batman Begins) and you'll get an excellent musical score for HBP created by 2 masters of Hollywood music.

To hermionefan891. It's simply because they want more people to participate in that huge project and also to bring a fresh wind for each movie. It would be tough to ask all these people (especially the kids) to stick around the same director for almost a decade; I wouldn't mind a same director for 3 movies filmed within 4-5 years (LOTR), but not for 7 movies in almost a decade.

i never thought of him before, but now that you mention it, thats a REALLY good idea. i loved Batman Begins, and i think that HBP needs that 'grown-up fantasy feel'. and thats not to say there has to be an abundance of gore and/or sexuality(somethings that are rather automatically implied when ever one speaks about 'grown up' stories),but just a sense danger and war and i think that Christopher Nolan could really bring that.

oooo and i love Hams Zimmer and J.N. Howards music, they both have wonderful stlye and i think could really bulid on the current score.

Ya know..maybe it's just me...but I feel that since there are SOOO many die-hard HP fans, perhaps the studio should let the FANS decide who directs the 6th movie..I mean, we all know the type of director needed, and the type of musical score to go along with it..so why not? Just because it IS a very huge movie studio does not necessarily mean they are always correct...and hey.."Snakes on a Plane" was not the GREATEST movie around..but the fans got active into what should go into it.


(shrugs)..yeah yeah, I know...I'm dreaming..lol..(but OH what a dream it is!)

LOL...that would be hysterical... Directed by The Hardcore Fans. But in the end it really wouldn't be possible because you would need one person to have the final say, and everyone would be argueing over things because they would want to do it their way.

we must agree strongly with sophie's suggestion of Tim Burton to directing the sixth movie. since the book was so dark and emotional Tim Burton would be the most excellent choice for a director. we also think that since Danny Elfman pretty much does all the scores for tim burton movies if he were to direct HBP it would only be natuarl that Danny would do the music. and enough of the Alfonso bashing already there was really only one important part left out in POA we think GOF was a substancially bigger dissapointment because of all that was left out(i.e. dobby and also the actual world cup match?)