02.10.06
Posted in Scoops at 12:34 am by RavenclawWit
via Harry Potter Fan Zone
Unconfirmed reports from Snitch Seeker indicate that the Dursleys and the dementor attack will appear in Order of the Phoenix.
This is a completely unconfirmed rumor, from what Snitch Seeker says is a reliable, but unidentified source.
I hope this does make it into the film, especially the scene where Petunia gets the howler from Dumbledore, but of course this rumor should be taken with a grain of salt.
UPDATE: It has been confirmed that The Dursleys are returning for Order of the Phoenix. Also, members of Dudley’s gang have been cast with Jason Boyd as Piers Polkiss.
Actress Sian Thomas has been cast as Amelia Bones.
This basically confirms that Dudley and the Dementor attack as well as the ministry hearing will be in the film. That’s good to hear.
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Posted in Scoops at 12:24 am by RavenclawWit
via HPANA
It’s now being reported that despite the fact that Warner Bros. confirmed that Gary Oldman is returning in the role of Sirius Black, the actor has not been presented with a contract to appear in Order of the Phoenix.
“At this time Gary Oldman is not set to appear in the next Potter film,” manager Doug Urbanski told HPANA. “I cannot explain why the studio confirmed his appearance.”
Ok, will these guys get on the ball or what? Warner Bros. better stop messing around. Present Oldman with a contract, please! This whole thing kind of bothers me. The role of Sirius is vital to the plot of Book 5. You’d think that whatever adaptation they have done of the book, this would still be the case for the film, and so they’d be trying to sign Oldman ASAP. Hopefully, this all gets ironed out.
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02.07.06
Posted in Scoops at 8:46 pm by RavenclawWit
via HPANA
Warner Bros. confirmed today that actors Gary Oldman and David Thewlis will be reprising their roles as Sirius Black and Remus Lupin in Order of the Phoenix.
Big sigh of relief is all I can say.
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02.03.06
Posted in Scoops at 7:18 pm by RavenclawWit
via HPANA
Dan Radcliffe told MTV.com that he visited a grief counselor to prepare for his role in Order of the Phoenix, set to start filming on the 6th. He says of his role:
Sirius is clinging on to James (Harry’s father and Sirius’ best friend) through me, and I’m trying to know my father through him. The same thing happens with me and Cho. I was the last person there when her last boyfriend, Cedric, was killed.
Well, at least he mentions Sirius. That means Sirius must be in the movie at least, but still no word on Gary Oldman. The character of Sirius is really indispensable in this film though. It’s in book 5 that Sirius and Harry really form an emotional connection, making his death all the more painful for both Harry and the reader. If Oldman can’t/won’t return, the filmmakers should just bite the bullet and cast another actor as Sirius. It’s not ideal, but we must have a Sirius.
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02.02.06
Posted in Scoops at 7:25 pm by RavenclawWit
via HPANA
As I said in my earlier post, Warner Bros. has confirmed today that full production on Order of the Phoenix will begin on February 6th. They issued a press release for the fifth film, which is set to be released in 2007:
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise their roles as close-knit teen wizards Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The production also welcomes back production designer Stuart Craig, costume designer Jany Temime, creature effects supervisor Nick Dudman, special effects supervisor John Richardson and visual effects supervisor Tim Burke. The director of photography is Slawomir Idziak (King Arthur, Black Hawk Down) and the editor is Mark Day (The Girl in the Café, State of Play).
Joining the stellar cast are Imelda Staunton (Nanny McPhee, Vera Drake) as Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; George Harris (The Interpreter, Black Hawk Down) as Kingsley Shacklebolt; Helen McCrory (Casanova, Enduring Love) as Bellatrix Lestrange; Natalia Tena (Mrs. Henderson Presents, About a Boy) as Nymphadora Tonks; Kathryn Hunter (All or Nothing, Orlando) as Mrs. Figg; and 14 year-old newcomer Evanna Lynch, who beat over 15,000 hopefuls at an open casting call to win the role of Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw student who becomes an important ally of Harry, Ron and Hermione’s.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned. Fearing that Hogwarts’ venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort’s return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge’s Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves “Dumbledore’s Army,” Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.
Well, at least we know that the DA made it in. A little worried that they still haven’t mentioned Sirius/Gary Oldman though.
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Posted in Scoops at 10:02 am by RavenclawWit
via HPANA
The roles of Luna Lovegood, Bellatrix LeStrange, Tonks, and Mrs. Figg have been cast for Order of the Phoenix. Luna will be played by 14 year old Evanna Lynch from Ireland who was one of the thousands of girls who auditioned a few weeks ago. Bellatrix will be played by British television actress Helen McCrory, Tonks will be played by Natalia Tena. Kathryn Hunter has been cast as Mrs. Figg.
A few comments here. The director of Order of the Phoenix, David Yates, has done mostly television work before this and it seems to reflect in the casting choices. I don’t have anything against television actors, but I’m afraid that the new movie will have a television “feel” to it. We’ll see.
Also, I’m kind of floored that Mrs. Figg wasn’t cut. Between the fact that she wasn’t mentioned in the first movie and the fact that her role is hardly vital to the plot, I was fully expecting her role to be cut. Together with the news earlier this week that the character of Kingsley Shacklebolt was also cast (he’s being played by George Harris), I’m starting to become, shall we say, alarmed about the adaptation of Order. Steve Kloves, who adapted the first four films bowed out for the fifth (he’s currently writing the sixth film, though) and they brought in Michael Goldenberg who wrote the screenplay for Peter Pan (2003) and Contact (1997). Just what did Mr. Goldenberg cut? Anything? I know it’s rare to hear a Potter fan actually hoping for cuts, but Order is an absolutely gargantuan book. It’s one of my favorites, but if not pared down considerably for the screen, we’re looking at a 3 hour plus movie here. One can only hope that this film will have the fast pace of Goblet.
On the other hand, I’m also a bit alarmed that we haven’t heard much news about who’s returning for movie 5. Of course, the trio is confirmed, but we haven’t heard about whether David Thewlis will return as Lupin (what’s the point of Tonks without Lupin?) or Gary Oldman as Sirius. Sirius is probably what I’m most concerned about. I mean, I think we all know that Sirius is indispensible to the plot of book 5. They can’t get away with cgi-ing him into a fire with a voiceover this time. Hopefully we’ll be hearing any day now that Oldman is returning. Filming begins, from all reports, February 6th.
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