J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter franchise has been entertaining audiences for decades, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The property continues to expand with theme parks, stage plays, and the Fantastic Beasts movies. Director Chris Columbus helped to kickstart the Harry Potter films, directing the first two installments and going on to serve as a producer for the third. And while he originally wanted to return to helm the two-part Deathly Hallows films, Columbus recently explained why he's glad this didn't work out.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was split into two movies to end the eight-part film franchise. They arrived in theaters 2010 and 2011 respectively, and ended the story in an epic way. Chris Columbus wanted to direct the pair of blockbusters himself, but recently explained why he's glad that Fantastic Beasts director David Yates stayed on board for those movies. As Columbus put it,
I always wanted to go back and shoot the final two movies, but Yates decided he was gonna stay with the series, and it was a great thing to do because I particularly love the very last movie. I think that is just a brilliant film, the second part of Deathly Hallows.
Sometimes things work out the way they're meant to. At least that's what Chris Columbus seems to think when it comes to the Harry Potter franchise. Because as much as he would have liked to finish the franchise that he began, David Yates' work, particularly on Deathly Hallows - Part 2. And fans would likely admit that he's got a point.
Chris Columbus' comments to Collider helps to peel back the curtain on the beloved Harry Potter film franchise. Warner Bros. has made a ton of money by adapting J.K. Rowlings for the big screen, and has been praised for staying largely close to the source material. The pressure was on to deliver an appropriate sendoff for The Deathly Hallows, and luckily David Yates was given two different movies to tell that story.
The two Deathly Hallows movies felt and looked quite different from each other. Part 1's pace was slowed down, and largely focused on the trio of heroes during their isolation and time spent hunting horcruxes. It featured a stunning animated sequence, and was one of the most immersive installment in the property.
As for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, the Battle of Hogwarts played out almost in real time, with David Yates pivoting between a variety of different characters during its epic conclusion. Plus, Voldemort got dusted before Thanos made it cool in Avengers: Endgame. Chris Columbus was clearly taken with that movie in particular, which helped put context into the disappointment not returning to the directors' chair.
David Yates continues to expand the Wizarding World, as he's directing the five-part Fantastic Beasts franchise. With J.K. Rowling writing the screenplays herself, the narrative will give background to beloved characters like Dumbledore. The third movie is currently in production, although the role of Grindelwald will be recast after Johnny Depp was asked to step down.
Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on July 15th, 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
