The LA Times report that back when Warner Bros purchased the right to J.K. Rowling’s novels (for only $2 million!) they contacted DreamWorks in the hopes of securing a financial partner. Although they were hesitant to begin with, they soon signed up when the books became a hit and were keen on getting Spielberg to direct the first film. However, his ideas did not please Warner Bros.
"I did think it would be worthwhile for Steven Spielberg to direct. We offered it to him. But one of the notions of Dreamworks’ and Steven’s was, ‘Let’s combine a couple of the books, let’s make it animated,’ and that was because of the [visual effects and] Pixar had demonstrated that animated movies could be extremely successful. Because of the wizardry involved, they were very effects-laden. So I don’t blame them. But I did not want to combine the movies, and I wanted it to be live action."
What do you think? Would you have liked to of seen the directors take on the Harry Potter franchise? Are you looking forward to the final movie to be released so Warner Bros start getting on with making more superhero movies? Be sure to share your thoughts in the usual place!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I is set to be released on November 19, later this month. A trailer for
Green Lantern is expected to accompany it.