The first highlight was watching the much anticipated fifth installment of the Harry Potter Series: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . Although we have been asked "kindly" to hold off on any movie reviews until the official release date of the 18 th of November, I can say without a doubt that it is by far the best one yet.
Following the screening, some of the cast members were at a press conference including: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasly), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Stanislav Ianevski (Victor Krum), Katie Leung (Cho Chang), Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory) and Clemence Posey (Fleur Delacour). However, the real treat was a press conference held for the acclaimed English director Mike Newell and producer David Heyman.
Mike Newell (Mona Lisa Smile, Four Weddings and a Funeral) said of taking on the helm of Harry Potter that he, "found it to be a thriller." Regarding the adaptation from the book by "Jo" (as in JK Rowling), Newell said they are, "not children's books - they appeal to people of all ages like adult stories with a moral message."
Heyman is said to be very close to "Jo" and said that she had been a generous collaborator. Newell commented that, "she was sweet and available." Although, she has yet to see the latest film she sees each draft of the script and approves them whilst remaining relatively hands off the process.
Referring to the next installment in the series Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , Heyman said, "with each of our films, we begin working on it before the other one comes out, so we've been working on this one for five months."
Heyman also said that "we are in negotiations with Imelda Staunton" for the role of Professor Umbridge in the next movie. Staunton said on ITV last week that she had been chosen for the role, but it now seems as though that announcement was somewhat premature.
Heyman confirmed that screenwriter Steve Kloves, who wrote the first four movie scripts, will return to script the sixth film adaptation, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . Heyman said, "[Steve Kloves] is a brilliant adapter, in the sense that he is able to retain the voice of the author that he's adapting....He is a fantastic writer, who manages to bring a ... who has a keen sense of character, and really understands the voice of the actors. He has written four. He also can write with great emotion, and at the same time, also great humor. He is not doing the fifth because he is writing another script for me called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime , which I hope he will direct. However, he read the sixth book and couldn't stay away, so he's going to come back and write the sixth."
At this, Mike Newell, who had just heard this for the first time, responded enthusiastically, saying, "Oh, great! Oh, that is good."
Stay Tuned to the IESB for more interviews with the cast of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
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