Harry Potter: Page to Screen opens the doors to Hogwarts castle and the wizarding world of Harry Potter to reveal the complete behind-the-scenes secrets, techniques, and over-the-top artistry that brought J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed novels to cinematic life. Developed in collaboration with the creative team behind the celebrated movie series, this deluxe, 500-plus page compendium features exclusive stories from the cast and crew, hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and concept illustrations sourced from the closed film sets, and rare memorabilia. As the definitive look at the magic that made cinematic history, Page to Screen is the ultimate collectible, perfect for Muggles everywhere.
One of the most eagerly awaited coffee table books of the season is this authorized illustrated guide to the making of all seven Harry Potter films. This deluxe, large-scale pictorial plus will wow every reader and viewer of J.K. Rowling's history-making epic.
— David Garber
Like David Heyman, Radcliffe was born into a theatrical family. Both parents had begun
their careers as actors. His mother, Marcia, eventually became a casting agent, and
his father, Alan, became a successful theatrical and literary agent (in which capacity he had
already met David Heyman). So it was not too surprising when, while attending a London based
school, five year old Daniel expressed an interest in acting. Three years or so later,
he audi-tioned for the title role in a new television adaptation of one of Charles Dickens's
perennials.
"I was sent up for David Copperfield because I was more or less crap academically and
pretty rubbish at sports at that time," remembers Radcliffe. "Sue Latimer,
who is my agent now, has been a friend of my dad's since they went to drama school together years ago.
She said, 'Well, look, they're doing auditions for David Copperfield at the moment. Why
don't you send Dan up for it, because it'll be something that none of the other kids in the class
will have experienced. He won't get the part, but, hey, send him up for it.' So I auditioned without
any-body thinking that I might get it. Then I did. I was one of the first boys they saw,
apparently, and they sort of took a liking to me."
Radcliffe proved to be a natural talent in front of the camera, and he swiftly followed
his television debut with his first big screen performance in The Tailor of Panama
(2001), opposite Pierce Brosnan. "That was great fun. Never read the script—I only got my
pages because it was a bit raunchy for my age. I wasn't allowed to see it when it came out, and
actually, I have never seen the film."
As pre-production for the first film geared up, the global success of the Harry
Potter books. continued to increase, and Heyman knew that they needed to make the movie right.
He began searching for a screenwriter to adapt J.K. Rowling's first novel—but never
approached the author herself. "Jo never expressed an interest," notes Heyman.
"She wanted to write the books. We didn't even talk about it."
Heyman and Warner Bros, first tried to recruit the team behind one of the most suc-cessful
British movies of all time: comedy writer Richard Curtis and leading British direc-tor
Mike Newell. Curtis had created the popular television series Black Adder (alongside
his longtime collaborator Rowan Atkinson), and when he teamed up with Newell for the big
screen, the result was a film that would define the British romantic comedy genre, 1994's
Four Weddings and a Funeral. Both Curtis and Newell decided to pass, forcing Heyman
to look elsewhere.
"In the beginning," Heyman says, "we were somewhat under the radar, and
we had to try to generate interest in the project." Several first editions of the book were
sent to prospective screenwriters—all of whom passed. Of course, "as the books became more
successful," he adds, "there were more incoming calls."
Although the plan was to keep the films British, eventually American screen-writers
were considered, because, as Heyman explains, "This story was 'big
entertainment' and there weren't that many British screenwriters who were writing 'big entertain-ment.'"
Very quickly, the field was narrowed down to two writers: Michael Goldenberg
and Steve Kloves. In the end, Kloves got the job. (Over the next decade, Kloves
would adapt six of the seven books. When he took a break during Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix,
Goldenberg stepped in.)
Kloves had been recommended to Heyman by a young agent at Creative Artists Agency-
Scott Greenberg. While Heyman thought the suggestion was brilliant, he initially ques-tioned
whether someone like Kloves would even be interested in this style of project. Kloves
had established himself as both writer and director with 1989's The Fabulous Baker
Boys, followed by the very dark and critically acclaimed Flesh and Bone. He had also adapted
rot J.K. Rowling has said that the idea for Harry Potter came to her, appropriately, on
a train. When the time came to bring the Hogaarts Express to life, the filmmakers used a train from
the 1910's.
ABOVE: Producer David Heyman. Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys. Though quite impressive,
his portfolio did not naturally suggest that he should adapt the biggest
success in family literature in recent memory.
But, Heyman recalls, "Scott was so right. Steve really, more than most any screen-writer
I've read, manages to capture an author's voice. One reads his adaptation of Michael
Chabon's Wonder Boys, and it is imbued with Chabon's spirit. It feels, when you read the
script and see the film, like you are in Chabon's world. One of the things that I loved most about
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and loved about all the books, was Jo's
voice, and I thought that if, in some way, you could translate that to film, it would be wonderful.
Steve is also a great writer of characters, and for all the magic, all the action, and all the
fantasy, what I believe make the films work— make the books so special—are the characters. We sent the
book to him, and I was pleasantly surprised when he said yes. And so began what has
been a long collaboration and become a great friendship."
Both Heyman and the studio felt it was imperative that Jo feel comfortable with their
selection, so they flew the author to Los Angeles to meet Kloves. "Jo was quite
nervous about meeting Steve. She realized the screenwriter was pivotal, that he was a key
figure in bringing her book to cinematic life. She understood that it was possible to make a bad
film from a good script, but that it was impossible to make a good film from a bad
one," recalls Heyman. Jo Rowling's fears were more than put to rest, however, when she,
Heyman, Kloves, and Warner Bros, executives Lionel Wigram, Polly Cohen, and Lorenzo di
Bonaventura met at the studio's commissary for lunch. "I think she realized she'd
found a kindred spirit," says Heyman.
By the time the script had been delivered near the end of 1999, Rowling's boy wizard
had become one of the most famous names on the planet. Now the search began
for a director.
"Steven Spielberg was the first director who expressed interest," Heyman states.
"He was the very first person to be given the script. I met with him in his office, and we
spent an hour and a half alone. He was so gracious, so focused. And he had many really inter-esting
ideas. We then had a second meeting, a three-way conversation—myself, Jo, and
Steven—on the phone, where he elaborated on his ideas. But ultimately he decided to
pursue another project that he had been working on for some time."
Although Spielberg was out of the running, an impressive pool of directors remained
interested. An early favorite of both the producer and Rowling was Terry Gilliam. Gilliam's
sensibilities and his previous forays into amazing fantasy worlds seemed like a per feet
match.
His time traveling tale of thieving dwarfs, Time Bandits, had won a huge family
audience, while his dystopian vision of a semi-Orwellian world, Brazil, had wowed critics
worldwide. "Jo and I liked Terry" remembers Heyman, "his humor and his touch of
madness. But, honestly, Alan Horn [president and chief operating officer], Lorenzo, and the studio were
a bit nervous about giving what had now become a prized project to someone as
unpredict-able as Terry."
Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) was briefly in the running, as was Brad Silberling
(Casper, City of Angels). "Brad brought a youthful exuberance," Heyman says.
"He had really good ideas. He was very enthusiastic. But his ideas, interestingly enough, were slightly
less grounded than what we wanted."
One British director in the mix was Alan Parker. Parker had an extraordinary and
diverse body of work: He'd worked with children (Bugsy Mahne); dealt with the
supernatural (Angel Heart); and taken on high drama, broad comedy, and even musicals. "I'm a
big admirer of Alan," says Heyman. "He's a brilliant director: great with child
actors, understands humor and adventure, is incredibly flexible and adept at so many things. He
would've made a wonderful film."
TOP: Harry Potter's creator, J.K. Rowling, at a book signing in 1999.
ABOVE Screenwriter Steve Kloves.
SETTING THE SCENE 2
Then Heyman met with Chris Columbus. "At that time, after Spielberg, no director had
connected with an audience as Chris had," Heyman says. "And when I talked to
him about the books, it was clear as to why: His enthusiasm, passion for, and understanding of the
material were unmatched. He was so invested in these characters and their journey, and
he had fantastic ideas as to how to bring them to life on the screen. It was so
exciting to discuss Harry Potter with him."
Barely over forty, Columbus already had a wealth of relevant experience under his belt.
In his early twenties, Columbus had established himself as a hugely inventive
screenwriter-penning for producer Steven Spielberg mid-1980s classics such as Gremlins, The Goonies,
and Young Sherlock Holmes (the latter redolent with the atmosphere of the English boarding
school that would prove so important in capturing the world of Hogwarts on screen).
Turning his hand to directing, Columbus had shown his grasp of the family audience with
two of the most successful comedies of all time: Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New
York. Written by 1980s teen movie icon John Hughes, Home Alone was handed to Columbus
(up to that point Hughes had often directed his own work), who ran with it, turning
Macaulay Culkin into a child star. Columbus also directed the hugely successful Robin
Williams vehicle Mrs. Doubtfire.
As Heyman says, "Chris had many strings to his bow—he had worked successfully in
many different genres—and that experience was essential to directing Harry Potter.
Plus, he was simply brilliant at working with children. He was clearly the right director."
Columbus's young daughter Eleanor thought so, too. She had been devouring the Harry Potter books
and recommending them relentlessly to her father. She would never forgive him if he
didn't take the job.
"My daughter Eleanor said Sorcerer's Stone would make a fantastic movie,"
Columbus recalls. "I was a little reluctant to read it at first because the concept really
didn't intrigue me. It was perceived at the time as just a children's book, and I didn't know if that's
what I really wanted to do next. But I read it and immediately fell in love with the
material.
When I called my agent to inquire about doing the film, I was told that there were
probably twenty-five directors ahead of me in line, including Steven Spielberg. So I thought, 'Well,
this is going to be tough.' But I was obsessed with the book. I asked my agent to get
me an interview with Warner Bros, as soon as possible, but I had one request—to be the last
person interviewed by them."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Harry Potter Page to Screen by Bob McCabe Copyright © 2011 by Bob McCabe. Excerpted by permission of Harper Design. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
booksonmynook
Posted December 5, 2011
I Also Recommend:
loved it. Very beautiful & insightful. would make a nice gift
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.benskywalkerknight34
Posted July 22, 2011
i will be keep on reading more harry potter books even though its based on the 8 movies and the art is beautiful as seeing the castle of Hogwarts very sunset-looking.
2 out of 34 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 5, 2012
This book basically sums up my childhood. Great information on the creation of the films and how they went from novels to the big screen.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MLS92
Posted December 5, 2011
Once I opened the cover I could not stop reading! Very addictive! The pictures are wonderful and the "inside scoops" of making the movies are interesting and fun.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 16, 2013
I Also Recommend:
This book is an awesome gift for HP fans! it has great articles with interviews with Emma,Daniel and Rupert
as well. It has beautiful artwork and is organized by each film. Anyone who is interested in the behind the scenes
Harry Potter would like it!
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Posted January 3, 2012
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Overview
Harry Potter: Page to Screen opens the doors to Hogwarts castle and the wizarding world of Harry Potter to reveal the complete behind-the-scenes secrets, techniques, and over-the-top artistry that brought J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed novels to cinematic life. Developed in collaboration with the creative team behind the celebrated movie series, this deluxe, 500-plus page compendium features exclusive stories from the cast and crew, hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and concept illustrations sourced from the ...