The Making of the Potterverse (25 page)

On her official Web site, J.K. Rowling offered two lines from the forthcoming
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
. While some may view this as a cruel tease, for fans, any preview of the next novel was a cause for celebration.

Harry Potter novel artist Mary GrandPre agreed to do the poster for the 2005 Minnesota State Fair.

Digital Spy reported three new actors cast in
Goblet of Fire
: Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati Patil, Afshan Azad as Padma Patil and Angelica Mandy as Fleur Delacour’s younger sister, Gabrielle.

Daniel Radcliffe was thrilled to see himself mentioned on the
CD
sleeve of a release from independent singer Ian Brown, formerly of ’90s band Stone Roses.

Although Warner Brothers was deluged with requests from people wanting to audition for film number five,
Order of the Phoenix
, the studio stated that it was “far too early” to even think about such things.

Harry Potter reached its 200th language when J.K. Rowling’s novels were translated into Gaelic.

J.K. Rowling’s cousin, Ben, publicly expressed his anger that the author won’t admit that she based the Harry Potter character on him and won’t share any of her fortune with him. “When I read the first Harry Potter book,” he said, “my jaw dropped. It was uncanny, far more than a coincidence. I know Jo based Harry on me. I can see so much of the young me in his character.”

A leatherbound book containing a Harry Potter manuscript adorned by handwriting and drawings by J.K. Rowling went up for auction to support the 999 Club, a London-based charity providing local financial support. Noted J.K., “I support the club because of the way it works — supporting people from the local community, run by people from the local community, open to all.”

Alarms sounded globally when J.K. Rowling, on her Web site, was
asked whether or not she planned on killing any more characters and she responded with, “Yes, sorry.”

The Scottish band Franz Ferdinand made public the fact they would be doing some music for
Goblet of Fire
. Unfortunately tensions within the band resulted in their having to pull out.

Patrick Doyle was announced as the replacement for John Williams as composer for
Goblet of Fire
.

Despite Harry Potter’s success, Mickey Mouse was the top earning fictional character of the year, according to
Forbes
.

Departing director Alfonso Cuaron expressed his opinion that Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint would remain in their roles through all seven films. “It would be amazing to have the whole series with the same kids,” he offered. “It would be priceless. It would be something very special, for the ages. So far, they’re holding up very good, the way that they are aging.”

French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (
Alien Resurrection, Amélie
) reportedly turned down the offer to direct
Order of the Phoenix
.

J.K. Rowling was given the top personality award by
Variety UK
, as part of the British Independent Film Awards.

Former James Bond Pierce Brosnan offered an interesting casting
choice for a future 007: “For the next Bond, Colin Farrell would be great, but if you want to go ever younger, Daniel Radcliffe. Give him a few years. You can see it, can’t you? He’ll be great. From Harry Potter to Bond.”

Miriam Margolyes let it be known that she was sad she would not be reprising the role of Professor Sprout in
Order of the Phoenix
, despite the fact that the character is in the book. “I am not making the fifth Harry Potter,” the actress told the
Sun
. “They made a great mistake and cut my character.”

Emma Watson was given the honor of lighting the special Christmas lights on Oxford Street in London. The event was also tied in to the DVD release of
Prisoner of Azkaban
and featured a Harry Potter light show.

Filming officially began on
Goblet of Fire
with the so-called sea of tents, all part of the Tri-Wizard tournament.

Michael Goldenberg, screenwriter of
Where the Wild Things Are, Peter Pan
and
Contact
, among others, was brought aboard to adapt
Order of the Phoenix
, while Steve Kloves went off to write and direct
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
for Harry producer David Heyman.

Apparently Gary Oldman was physically ill when he found out that J.K. Rowling had killed Sirius Black in
Order of the Phoenix
, limiting the number of films he could be in.

Daniel Radcliffe sent out a Christmas card featuring himself and numerous crewmembers underwater in the tank being used for the filming of part of
Goblet of Fire
.

Britain’s Danny Holme, who was often said to have an amazing
resemblance to Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter, actually won a national search for the best Harry Potter look-alike and was then invited to participate in an event tied in to the DVD release of
Prisoner of Azkaban
.

The Harry Potter online scams continued, with some offering copies of the not-yet-published
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
. The online message claimed the book was available electronically only. “If you do not wish to wait for six months more, buy and start reading right now! Be the first to reveal all the secrets.” The site was shut down as soon as authorities became aware of it. For the record, no electronic version of a Harry Potter novel has ever been made available.

David Yates, virtually unknown as a director in America, who directed the critically acclaimed
BBC
series
State of Play
, was officially announced as the director of the film adaptation of
Order of the Phoenix
. Enthused producer David Heyman, “I am thrilled that David Yates is going to direct. Not only does he have tremendous passion for the world of Harry Potter, but he is a great director with a keen visual sense who fills every frame with humanity and compassion for his characters.”

J.K. Rowling gave birth to her third child, Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray. Mackenzie is her second child with husband, Dr. Neil Murray.

When learning that children wanted owls as pets, J.K. Rowling was quick to point out that this was not a good idea. “If anybody has been influenced by my book to think an owl would be happiest shut in a small cage and kept in a house, I would like to take this opportunity to say as forcefully as I can: You are wrong. The owls
in Harry Potter books were never intended to portray the true behavior or preference of real owls,” she wrote on her Web site.

J.K. Rowling’s lawyers made note of the fact that they were exploring whether or not they would sue the U.S. army for its Harry Potter–inspired illustration that appeared in their official publication,
Preventive Maintenance Monthly
.

Preorders for the sixth Harry Potter novel,
Half-Blood Prince
, had, according to Amazon.co.uk, topped 100,000. The book’s publication date was announced as July 16.

While speaking to the
Melbourne Herald Sun
, Rupert Grint expressed his confidence he would be returning for film five. “There’s no reason, really, why we couldn’t go on,” he said. “I don’t know about the others, but I want to go on.”

Word leaked out that the names of the film crew would appear on gravestones in a
Goblet of Fire
cemetery sequence.

At the Visual Effects Society Awards,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
took home the top prize for Outstanding Visual Effects.

Rumors were making the rounds that Elizabeth Hurley was being pursued for a role in
Order of the Phoenix
, but these turned out to be false.

Lawyer-turned-author John Grisham admitted that the end of his reign on the top of the bestseller lists kind of bummed him out. “I was number one for a long time,” he said. “I tried to act like it was no big deal, but I kind of miss it.” He was dethroned, of course, by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.

Scholastic released the cover for
Half Blood Prince
on the eighth of the month. Explained artist Mary GrandPre, “For the cover, the mood of the art is truly eerie. I wanted the colors to be strong and I chose upward lighting and dramatic shadows to convey a kind of surreal place and time.” In the image, Harry and Dumbledore are looking into a basin that is emitting a green light.

Electronic Arts and Warner Brothers announced a
Goblet of Fire
game that would complement the film and feature the likenesses of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

Scholastic reported that the forthcoming
Half-Blood Prince
was shattering all records with an initial print run of 10.8 million copies.

J.K. Rowling admitted that she thought the new book was the best so far. “Even if nobody else likes it — and some won’t — I know it will remain one of my favorites in the series. Ultimately you have to please yourself before you please anyone else.”