Final 'Harry Potter' book to be split into two movies -- Where should it be cut?

Posted Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 10:52 AM Central

by John Couture

Warner Brothers announced today that the last novel in the Harry Potter series will be split into two movies. While on the surface this might seem like a desperate money grab on the last tome of the highly successful series, producer David Heyman maintains that the decision is purely based on the material.

"It was born out of purely creative reasons. Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I is now scheduled for release in November 2010 while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II will follow six months later in May 2011.

UPDATE: We were able to read between the lines from the official Warner Bros. press release and decipher their clever attempt to mask their true intentions.:

"Over ten year$ ago, we made a commitment to Jo Rowling that, above all el$e, we would be faithful and true to the $pirit of her book$, and ever $ince we have endeavored never to compromi$e on the creative ambition$ of the film$. The Deathly Hallow$ i$ $o rich, the $tory $o den$e and there i$ $o much that i$ re$olved that after di$cu$$ing it with Jo, we came to the conclu$ion that two part$ were needed to do it ju$tice" $aid David Heyman. "I am thrilled that David Yate$ i$ returning to direct 'The Deathly Hallow$.' He i$ both in$pired and in$piring and i$ a pa$$ionate fan of the remarkable world and character$ Jo ha$ created. I know he will lead our incomparable ca$t and crew--mo$t of whom have been with u$ $ince the very beginning--in bringing the $erie$ to the unforgettable conclu$ion it de$erve$."

We kid because we care.

Of course, now the discussion will be centered on where to cut the book in two. Heyman is already thinking about it.

"The question will be, where do you break it? And how do you make them one but two separate and distinct stories? Do you break it with a moment of suspense or one of resolution? These are the interesting challenges."

I can't resist the temptation to speculate here, so if you haven't read the last book and want to remain spoiler free then I would stop reading at this point.

You have been properly warned.

The problem I see with this strategy is that the first half of the book is front-loaded with all the action. You've got the escape from Privet Drive that ends in the first of many sad moments when Hedwig bites it. That's quickly followed by the intense action sequence at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

After that, a lot of time in the first half of the book is spent with Harry, Ron and Hermione camping and moving and fighting with one another and making up with each other.

The first logical place to split the book might be after the sequence when Harry returns to Godric's Hollow. There's a brief action sequence and it might make the most sense if you're looking to make the best eighth movie possible.

Everyone seems to be pointing at Dobby's death as the logical place to split it up since it occurs right around the middle of the book. It would certainly end the first movie with a huge emotional blow, however because Dobby was excised from the last three movies, his death won't carry as much weight for those that haven't read the books.

But still, he dies a hero's death and it does serve as the catalyst for Harry to find the resolve to continue on his journey. The only problem is that the Gringotts bank sequence is almost immediately after this. While it would make for a compelling opening sequence in the eighth movie, most of the first half of the book is spent with them planning the heist.

So, there would be some disconnect there between the two movies. You could cut the first movie right after the escape from Gringotts. There's something poetic and completely Hollywood I suppose about the heroes flying off into the sunset on the back of a dragon.

Unfortunately, if you cut the book that far into the narrative, there isn't much left in the story to carry the second movie. The second movie pretty much becomes the battle for Hogwarts, which yes, needs to be given plenty of screen time.

And I do suppose that now that Warner Bros. has completely taken over New Line, they could ask Peter Jackson if he'd like to come and recreate The Two Towers and basically have the entire movie be one long battle scene.

Oh, and don't forget about the epilogue. On second thought, Peter Jackson won't work, the movie would never end. Well, it would end 27 times over.

One thing is certain, I don't envy the job of the producers and writers in their attempts to properly handle this split. It is possible that they could juggle some story aspects to make the movies more balanced, but at the end of the day, isn't it just easier to make one long, four hour movie?

Let us know what you think about this decision and where you'd like to see them cut the book in half.