American director Chris Columbus, who directed the first two films of the Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), told The Wrap that he would like to release a three-hour version of Harry Potter and philosopher's Stone".
The duration of the film, released in 2001, is 2 hours and 32 minutes.
In addition, an extended version is available to viewers - it includes several cut scenes with a total duration of seven minutes.
However, there are other materials that are not presented to a wide audience.
In particular, the three-hour "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" includes episodes filmed with the participation of the English comedian Rick Mayal.
The actor played the poltergeist Peeves, who lives in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Subsequently, all scenes with him were cut.
Later, a petition appeared on the change.org portal: fans of the artist, as well as the universe created by J.K. Rowling, demanded that Warner Bros.
showed episodes.
While the efforts of the audience have not been crowned with success, however, the cut scenes still happened to be seen by a number of spectators.
According to Chris Columbus, even before the official premiere of the first Harry Potter film in the United States, there were several preliminary screenings of the three-hour version of the tape.
The director notes that the children received her warmly.
“The parents later said that the film was too long, and the children - that it was too short.
“Well,” I thought, “if we assume that children’s attention switches faster, then the result is not bad,” Columbus recalled.
The director has previously mentioned the three-hour version of the film in interviews, but in a conversation with The Wrap, he emphasized that he would like to see it released.
"We have to bring Peeves back into this film, who was not included in the release!"
- the director assures.
Earlier, Chris Columbus said that he is ready to take on the adaptation of the play by J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", if the opportunity presents itself.
He told The Hollywood Reporter that he is starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in eight films in the Harry Potter franchise.
According to Columbus, the actors are now at the right age, and their return to well-known characters will certainly touch history fans.
Warner Bros. Studio
has not yet made any announcements regarding both projects.
The company is currently producing the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts series, a prequel and spin-off to Harry Potter, which is set around zoologist Newt Scamander.
Additionally, in early 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that HBO Max and Warner Bros.
are developing a game series based on the Harry Potter books and films.
Another upcoming project related to the J.K. Rowling universe is the role-playing video game Hogwarts.
Heritage".
It will take place at Hogwarts in the 1800s.
The release is scheduled for 2022.
The writer did not participate in the development of the plot.
Chris Columbus was one of a number of directors interested in filming the Harry Potter series.
In a meeting with management with Warner Bros.
he spoke about his vision of the picture and was approved immediately for the first two films.
The director faced a difficult challenge - he had to not only transfer to the screen a story already beloved by millions of readers, but also convey the entire atmosphere of magic described in the book.
“The reality is that the whole world was pressing on us - and on me in particular, because I knew that if I screwed up with this film, it would be over.
This book cannot be spoiled.
Therefore, I had to come to the set every day as if with tunnel vision - that is, without thinking about the outside world, ”said Chris Columbus.
The work of the director did not disappoint fans: according to the Rotten Tomatoes portal, the rating of the first two films of the franchise was at least 80% both from the side of film critics and according to reviews of a wide audience.
The total gross of the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", taking into account the restarts, amounted to more than $ 1 billion. The film "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" earned $ 879.6 million at the box office.