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I know this is a little late considering the announcement was made a few days ago, but nonetheless... YAAAAAAAY! We finally have a date for book five! June 21st can't get here soon enough. The little cliff hanger about Dumbledore telling Harry "everything" was just cruel. That conversation probably occurs on the last page of the book or something equally frustrating.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts, theories about what will happen, etc.

And on a related note, the Chamber of Secrets will be released on DVD in April - woo hoo!

I wouldn't swear my life on this but I have heard that Gary Oldman will be playing Sirius Black in the third movie. I guess its a decent choice... I just always pictured Sirius a little sexier. Like, for instance, the guy that plays Aragorn in LOTR.

RyeBlume wrote:Like, for instance, the guy that plays Aragorn in LOTR.

Mmmmmm..... Viggo Mortensen.... Yummy.... wait a second, what were we talking about?

Megs wrote:

RyeBlume wrote:Like, for instance, the guy that plays Aragorn in LOTR.

Mmmmmm..... Viggo Mortensen.... Yummy.... wait a second, what were we talking about?

Oh my god, he is gorgeous. Just the right mix of machismo and compassion - right, that's me distracted for the day... *sigh*.

Who do you think should take on the role of Dumbledore? Maybe Ian McKellen, just for the sake of having Gandalf play another wizard?

I do know what you mean about Gary Oldman as Sirius Black. I have a hard time with the timeline - if Snape went to school with Harry's parents, then Sirius should be the same age as well, but Alan Rickman is in his 50s which would translate to Harry's parents being in their late 30s/early 40s when Harry was born. I suppose that's plausible, but I imagined his parents to be about 10 years younger, which would definitely allow for a younger, sexier Sirius.



Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part!

candygirl wrote:Maybe Ian McKellen, just for the sake of having Gandalf play another wizard?

He was in the running for it, but specifically stated that he wouldn't play another wizard, having already played the ultimate wizard that had been created.

The last I heard, they were going to use Richard Harris' stand in from the first two, and digitally replace his face with Richard Harris'.

Personally, I think that is a horrible horrible idea. Nothing like a digital version of "Weekend at Bernie's". How would his family feel about seeing their dead father/grandfather acting on the big screen? Its just really....icky.

I also heard that Peter O'Toole was up for the role. I'd much rather see him do it:

http://members.tripod.com/peter_otoole/37fa0f40.jpg

Ugh, I think the stand-in/digital thing is a terrible idea too! As much as it sucks, they need to just find someone else and go with it. Besides, if JK Rowling does get around to writing all eight books, the possibility exists that they will make movies out of all eight - do they really want to do this Weekend at Bernie's type thing for six movies? And who would do his voice? They definitely need to choose another actor. Heh, because you know that the movie execs were just waiting for me to help them make that decision.

No disrespect to Richard Harris... I think he's a terrific actor, but I've always thought that his portrayl of Dumbledore was just a bit off. The Dumbledore of the books is quirky and jovial, and Richard Harris was extremely solemn throughout both of the movies. His happy moments were few and far between and felt insincere to me. The digital thing is just.... ew! I would feel very uncomfortable watching that... here's hoping that they start fresh with another actor.
And, yes, I've always wished that the actor that plays Gandalf could play him. I think he'd be perfect.

Related note: I just watched the beginning of the Sopranos S3 this weekend and was appalled by the way they digitally inserted Nancy Marchand, so again I say find another actor to play Dumbledore!

And the winner is...Michael Gambon as the new Dumbledore!

Other cast members include David Thewlis as Professor Lupin, Jim Tavare as Tom (the Leaky Cauldron Tom, obviously not Tom Riddle), and Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew.

The latest casting news: Rowan Atkinson will be playing Voldemort in The Goblet of Fire!

Cool! I hope he brings Teddy!

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been named. Ralph Fiennes, who played memorable evil guys in "Red Dragon" and "Schindler's List," has signed on to portray the wicked warlock Voldemort in the next "Harry Potter" movie, Warner Bros. announced Wednesday.

Voldemort is so bad that the magical characters in author J.K. Rowling's stories do their best not to speak his name aloud.

In the first three installments of the saga, a deadly magic spell meant for a baby Harry Potter backfired and deprived him of a body. So only his spirit wrought havoc in "The Sorcerer's Stone," "The Chamber of Secrets" and the recent "Prisoner of Azkaban."

But Voldemort finally returns in the flesh in part four: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

Filming has been under way on "Goblet" since June 25, mainly with star Daniel Racliffe as the boy-wizard, and co-stars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as his pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Fiennes has not yet filmed any scenes.

Other additions to the cast include Brendan Gleeson ("Troy," "The Village" and "Cold Mountain") as Potter's new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the fearsome Mad-Eye Moody, and Miranda Richardson, ("The Crying Game," "Sleepy Hollow") as Rita Skeeter, a gossip columnist for a magical newspaper.

The cast also includes Robert Pattinson as Hogwarts student Cedric Diggory, Stanislav Ianevski as Quidditch star Viktor Krum, French actress Clemence Poesy as the heart-fluttering visiting student Fleur Delacour, and Katie Leung as Potter's love-interest and Quidditch rival Cho Chang.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," directed by "Four Weddings and a Funeral" filmmaker Mike Newell, is scheduled for theatrical release in November 2005.