"If we turn our heads and look away and hope that it will all disappear then they will - all of them, an entire generation of people. And we will have only history left to judge us."
Goblet of Fire Article:
Heyman on Newell nuances, Emma on Ron
Sometimes, you can't turn around in this town without coming across some young starlet in one of the world's biggest movie franchises, or having some producer of a string multi-hundred million dollar earning of films stroll around the corner in front of you.
Never one to waste an opportunity, when it happens to Empire, we milk any such encounter for all it's worth. So it was when we got some words from not only Hermione Granger herself (aka Emma Watson), but also the man largely in charge of bringing her parent chronicles to the screen, David Heyman.
After congratulating him on winning the Orange Film Of The Year, presented at this year's BAFTAs, conversation inevitably turned to the next instalments. It hasn't gone unnoticed by us that after three films helmed by Americans (of both hemispheres) the next two directors are Brits. As Empire has reported, the (no doubt stiff-upper-lipped) boys up for the job are Mike Newell and David Yates. So is Harry about to suddenly get far more British? Will there be far more tea drinking than is strictly necessary? Will Hogwarts field a cricket team? Will Harry and co. go binge drinking in Ibiza for half term? "I'd say there are certain things about this film that are more British - the anarchy, and the specific Britishness of the school is highlighted in a way that hasn't been previously filmed by a Mexican or American director, and there are nuances ... that will be appealing the world over, but are very much British."
And what a task Newell has. The next film, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - or Potter IV if you're cool and hip and familiar enough to use the abbreviated title - is a massive undertaking, with the kibosh only recently being put on reports that the film was to be split in two, ala Kill Bill. Heyman told Empire "The fourth one is definitely the biggest of the films so far... we have two new schools; it is a mammoth film. We had to build a tank, for example, and Dan had to film underwater for six weeks." Presumably he was allowed to come up for air.
Given that the book for Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix is even larger than Goblet Of Fire, fledgling feature director David Yates must be, how do we put this eloquently? - Bricking it. But the charming Mr Heyman clued us in there, too. "The fifth book - I don't know if it's bigger; I think it's comparable, but the films are bigger, the challenges are greater." It is of course, worthy to note that with a background almost exclusively in TV thus far (including the sublime State Of Play), Yates is used to working on epic canvasses, in terms of time. We will of course, keep you posted.
Meanwhile, the day is fast approaching when Hermione - let's face it, has to end up snogging Ron. It's not been written yet, but all the evidence on screen is pointing to it, and the public are practically demanding it. And what is Ms Watson's take on this? "I hadn't actually heard that... I have to say eventually, I think it would be nice if Hermione and Ron ended up together, because they... it's just got to happen really - that's my feeling anyway. I don't know what J.K. Rowling's got in store for them," she said, before adding "And that's the book and the film, not real life!"
Disclaimer: Veritaserum is run by fans and is for the fans. We are in no way official and are not affiliated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., EA Games, Scholastic, or Bloomsbury. We do not own any of the characters in the books, movies, or games.
