The following is an excerpt from a Sci-fi.com news bit:

For Hogsmeade, set designer Stuart Craig labored to avoid a "pretty, chocolate-box" village, creating a main street that swerves zanily. Honeydukes, the candy store, is floor-to-ceiling psychedelia. And, the magazine reported, Cuarón has reimagined the role of Professor Dumbledore after Richard Harris' death. British actor Michael Gambon now plays the Hogwarts headmaster as an elegant old hippie, Newsweek reported.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this. While I've always personally felt, having read the books, that Dumbledoor seemed more energetic than he was played in the first two films, I never really pictured him as "tripping". Likewise, I hope Hogsemeade does not turn out to be some 70s style town. I really don't think it would fit in with that Rowling had in mind while writing the books.

Input is welcome!

I'll wait to see anything before getting myself into a tizzy. Sci-fi mags have a tendency to lean towards senationalism - saying Dumbledore's going to be played as a "hippie" is dead giveaway. More energetic maybe...

Cuaron's got too many studio vultures looking over his back to allow him to turn this into Willie Wonka (not that he's even had such thoughts). Personally, I'm anticipating any stylistic changes he manages to make... Some of the most powerful images fromY Tu Mama can be found in his somewhat subtle reverence for the film's setting. I just don't see him transforming Hogsmeade into Candyland. It's really without precedent.

Well while it's a sci-fi mag, it was taken from Newsweek, which I think has a pretty good relationship with WB and the HP franchise.

I can respect subtle imagine to get a point or idea across. I, however, will not tollerate the exact opposite. I hope you're right with the "studio vultures" comment. However, as we have plainly seen, they don't always do their jobs ala Star Trek...

I think the studios don't understand Star Trek anymore. It's like their own personal Frankenstein's monster... they're trying to piece together lifeless parts of stock sci-fi TV and shock them to life every three years, forgetting what made Star Trek II, IV and VI great. The Trekkies then revolt and try to kill the monster and his creator. Repeat.

...anyway... back on topic, even if it's Newsweek, this news deserves two seconds more consideration. The steps the franchise have taken (Gambon as Dumbledore, Oldman as the prisoner, Cuaron directing) have all been inspired choices for Azkaban. Seems like Newsweek wants to the scoop on the new Potter movie to sell some mags. Hell, the set designer could just be f'in with everyone to entertain himself by manipulating the media frenzy.

If it gets by JK Rowling, I can handle it. She still has a big say in these films, doesn't she?

Yep, I believe she pretty much has final say over any choices made with the franchise.

That's what I thought. She'll take care of her baby.

Um, not really. Warner owns the rights to it now. They can pretty much do what they want IF they wanted to. But they still go to JK out of respect for the material and cuz she's still the best source for input on it.

As for Dumbledore, I like him being trippy. That's how he is in the books anyway and if there was one thing lacking in Richard Harris' performance, it's that little spurt of energy that Big D always seemed to have given his age.



Now THAT is Dumbledore.

Oh, and for pixyboi:

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/im...3/07/shack.jpg

Bigger Dumbledore pic:

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/im.../07/gambon.jpg

That's very un-studio-like. I just assumed since they always mention how Rowling "approved" certain things she still maintained some sort of control over the material...

Good to know.

I do wish more studio's would practice this when dealing with other intellectual material from creators with less power and money than Rowling. Just because you own it, doesn't mean you have the right to pillage it.

Yep. The biggest misconception about the filming of the first 2 is that JKR stood over Columbus and Steve Kloves all throughout filming when in truth, she only visited the set occassionally cuz she was busy writing and/or adjusting to her new life (marriage, baby, etc). It was actually Columbus' and Kloves' decision to consult Rowling all the time about everything.

Newsweek has the first set visit and interview with Cuaron up, along with the first pics of the movie. Couple of movie sites are running links.

Wow.. maybe I should read again, but I pictured Lupin WAAAY differently, Black is spot on though.

I picture Lupin as a sort of Ewan Mcgreggor type of actor. Looks sorta dorky. as for Sirus. Looking good, though I would have pictured him a bit bigger.

Though I loathe Y Tu Mamá También with a passion, I'm still keeping fast to my hope that Cuaron delivers an excellent installment in the Harry Potter franchise. I'm really hoping all these films continue to be top notch straight to the end.

And I like what I see in that Michael Gambon pic as Dumbledore and I hope he finally gets the wide recognition he deserves.

Whoa.. that's exactly how I pictured him too.. freaky. Though, all said it's not a great pic of that character so we'll see..

I'm not sure on the whole JK input on the movies bit. I thought I recalled somewhere where she said she did have final say, however I may simply have things mixed up in my head.

Just from that picture, I don't think I like the new Dumbledore. However, in motion and with dialogue, hopefully he will be better. I think they at least could have made him look more like the previous incarnation - like a little longer beard.

Sirius is looking okay in those pictures, hopefully the picture will have a darker tone though to make him look more mysterious and "evil" looking.

As for Lupin, I think I'll have to go back and check that myself. I'm not really sure WHAT I recall him looking like. I guess Moody is still in my mind.

Rowling is involved in that the movies cannot veer off from the source material too much, especially since the books are open ended stiil, so they cant put a Harry/Hermione romance in the movies that isnt in the books. From the interviews on the last disc, she offers input on what may come to help the screenwriters know where they can go and how far to push things.

I am not concerned about the changes at all. I like Gambon as DD and I like the hippie description. DD does have a ton of energy, anybody who has read OOTP can really attest to that, and I always got a very laid-back, almost stoner like feeling from DD...always giving his office passwords names of candy and not caring what titles are removed from him as long as he is still on the Chocolate Frog cards. Black looks dead on, no opinion on Lupin yet, and anybody is a better choice than Columbus. Not that the first two were bad, they weren't, but when I watch them I get a creepy Home Alone vibe. Not only that, but he was a slave to the books. I would love to see Cauron mix it up a little and change stuff a bit. Granted, with JKR around it won't be drastic but a tiny change would be nice.

I don't see why a lot of people want to "mix it up". Anyone who's read the books knows you really can't do that cuz seemingly non-significant stuff in the first books end up being HUGE deals later on. The prime example of which will be revealed in this movie.

It's funny. You get the Crichton book-to-movies transition and people call it "butchered" (which it is, don't get me wrong). On the other end of the spectrum, we get the Potter series where a lot of stuff is straight from the book and suddenly it's "slavish".

I believe in the interview with JK Rowling and Steve Kloves on the COS dvd Ms. Rowling says that she does have input, but she doesn't really interfere with the movies too much because she is much too busy with the books and her family now. I believe just about the only input she has is into the initial draft of the screenplay.

I think that the reason so many of you are associating Ewan MacGregor as Lupin is that at one time he was the favorite to play the role.

With all the Big Lebowski fans on this forum, I'm surprised there isn't more excitement about Thewlis.

I liked that rumor. Even before it, just reading it I thought Ewan would make a good Lupin. then again, I think Ewan is a great actor himself, so of course I would think that.

I always thought Richard Coyle from Coupling would make a good Lupin. But after watching Dragonheart again, I have to say that David Thewlis should be pretty good. He's kind of wolfie looking.

Yep. Thewlis looks sickly enough. I think we shouldn't be using that pic to judge his "look" yet.

Man I want to see a trailer for this already...