J.K. Rowling was a British single mother who had lost her job and had nothing in the bank when, through some divine
miracle, she started writing the original story of "Harry Potter" with fiendish speed. The creative result is nothing less
than astounding. As if she was visited by the muses of myth, Rowling wrote a modern classic in the face of abject
poverty for both her and her children. It's a tale about a young boy who discovers he is a wizard and is sent to a
magical school where he must face off against the evil wizard Voldemort.
The first book, originally titled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in England, was brought to America as
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." This might have something to do with the fact that American publishers
thought the word "sorcerer" sounded much cooler, and frankly it does. The novel sold like gangbusters and the rest is
history. Now with five books in publication and a sixth just hitting shelves, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,"
Rowling says that there will only be seven novels so the last will hit shelves in the next few years. Luckily for Potter
fans, the Warner Bros. films have only just reached their fourth installment, so there will be Potter films for a good
number of years
J.K. Rowling was leery of giving the movie rights to Hollywood and she demanded creative control and a series of
prerequisites before filming began. All of the major actors had to be British and the movie must be filmed in England.
Understandable demands considering Hollywood's penchant for casting Americans in foreign roles and casting actors
who don't even remotely resemble the characters of the original work. Her determination paid off and not only did
director Chris Columbus search high and low before casting an unknown boy he met in a movie theatre as Harry
Potter, but the production of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" also attracted the best in British adult talent,
including Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, John Cleese and Richard Harris.
This November, Warner Bros. will release "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and scheduled for 2007, Warner Bros.
plans to complete "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." The little wizards are here to stay!
miracle, she started writing the original story of "Harry Potter" with fiendish speed. The creative result is nothing less
than astounding. As if she was visited by the muses of myth, Rowling wrote a modern classic in the face of abject
poverty for both her and her children. It's a tale about a young boy who discovers he is a wizard and is sent to a
magical school where he must face off against the evil wizard Voldemort.
The first book, originally titled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in England, was brought to America as
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." This might have something to do with the fact that American publishers
thought the word "sorcerer" sounded much cooler, and frankly it does. The novel sold like gangbusters and the rest is
history. Now with five books in publication and a sixth just hitting shelves, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,"
Rowling says that there will only be seven novels so the last will hit shelves in the next few years. Luckily for Potter
fans, the Warner Bros. films have only just reached their fourth installment, so there will be Potter films for a good
number of years
J.K. Rowling was leery of giving the movie rights to Hollywood and she demanded creative control and a series of
prerequisites before filming began. All of the major actors had to be British and the movie must be filmed in England.
Understandable demands considering Hollywood's penchant for casting Americans in foreign roles and casting actors
who don't even remotely resemble the characters of the original work. Her determination paid off and not only did
director Chris Columbus search high and low before casting an unknown boy he met in a movie theatre as Harry
Potter, but the production of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" also attracted the best in British adult talent,
including Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, John Cleese and Richard Harris.
This November, Warner Bros. will release "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and scheduled for 2007, Warner Bros.
plans to complete "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." The little wizards are here to stay!
| The book that started the worldwide phenomenon. |
| THE FILMS OF HARRY POTTER |
| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 2001 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 2002 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 2004 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 2005 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 2007 |
| ABOVE: Ron, Harry and Hermione discover a dark message in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." |
| ABOVE: Harry, on his flying broom, races for the Golden Snitch in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." |
