Fan reaction was mixed earlier this year when it was first announced that the final book of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series would be coming to the screen as two movies. As it stands now, part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows opens on November 19th of this year, while part two hits theaters next summer on July 15th. Once the split was accepted the big question seemed to be where would part one end and part two resume?
Mugglenet.com has posted scans from Entertainment Weekly’s upcoming Fall Movie Preview issue and amidst the images, memories, and quotes from the cast is the answer…
Chapter 24.
Goosebumps! The first film will end at chapter 24, “with Voldemort gaining possession of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows that allow the bearer to conquer death.” Director David Yates, who is marking his third (or technically fourth) time at the helm of a Harry Potter film, says he wanted the two movies to have distinct feels to them. “Part 1 is quite vérité, quite real. You feel that these three kids are refugees… it feels interesting seeing them removed from the haven of Hogwarts. Part 2 is much more operatic and colorful and fantasy-oriented.”
Yates has already shown himself to be quite capable, but this two-film concept is an unproven one for the franchise. The audience will be there regardless and fans and critics alike are both bound to complain if part 1 doesn’t stand on its own as a complete film. So for those of you who’ve read the final book, is this a good splitting point? Does it make sense? And will you be able to wait an extra eight months after the cliffhanger ending of part 1 for the conclusion to the series?
And I realize the title of this post implies by definition that the two films are equatable to Harry Potter’s nutsack and arsehole, but that was never my intention. I just really wanted to use “taint” in the title as it represents the fleshy separation between, well, the nutsack and arsehole.