Phoenix Prophecy - On Fire For Harry Potter!

There are many people hard at work bringing the Potterverse to the big screen. Here, we shine the spotlight on the directors of each Potter film - a little of who they are and where they're headed.

Chris Columbus
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Born on September 10 1958 in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Christopher Columbus was first inspired to work in the film industry after seeing The Godfather at age 15. Columbus started off early as a screenwriter, selling his first screenplay while still in NYU film school.

After graduating, Columbus attracted the attention of Steven Spielberg, who bought his script for Gremlins (1984). Having joined Spielberg’s “Amblin Productions”, Columbus wrote two more films for the famous director: The Goonies and Young Sherlock Holmes, both released in 1985. Columbus first made his directorial debut in 1987 with Adventures in Babysitting. His biggest success came in 1990, with Home Alone starring Macaulay Culkin. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) based on the novel by Anne Fine and Bicentennial Man (1995) adapted from the novella by Isaac Asimov, followed.

In 2001, after beating many other heavyweight directors (it is rumoured that Spielberg was in consideration), Columbus was chosen to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It has been said that Columbus’s bid was made successful because of his promise to author J.K. Rowling to use an all British cast in the film, as well as keeping all filming and production in the UK. The film was received with open arms with fans, who loved the fact that Columbus stayed faithful to the book. The Philosopher’s Stone went on to gross US$968 million world wide, making it the fourth most grossing film of all time. It was also well received with critics, and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Columbus stayed onboard to film the next Potter film, the Chamber of Secrets. The film was not released to accepting critics, who complained that it was too long and adhered to the book excessively. However, it was still well received by fans and grossed over US$800 million worldwide. For the Prisoner of Azkaban, Columbus handed over the directorial reigns to Alfonso Cuarón, but stayed on as Producer. His next feature film was Rent (2005), an adaptation of the Broadway Musical.

There has been recent speculation that Columbus is being considered to direct the sixth Potter film adaptation, the Half-Blood Prince, but there has been no confirmation as of yet.

Alfonso Cuarón
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Alfonso Cuarón Orozco, born on November 18 1961 in Mexico City, Mexico has always been obsessed and fascinated with cinema. From an early age, Cuarón would often lie to his mother about playing with his friends; instead he would be watching films in one of the many local cinemas, absorbing everything he could. Cuarón finally received his first camera on his 12^th birthday and would run around filming everything he could.

After finishing school, Cuarón eagerly wanted to attend film school and applied to study at CCC (the Center of Cinematographic Qualification) but was unfortunately denied because of his age. Instead, he studied Philosophy during the day and attended CUEC (the University Center of Movie Studies) in the evenings, allowing Cuarón to make many connections within the industry. However in 1984, Cuarón was expelled following an argument with CUEC about a short film he was involved in.

Needing to support his family, Cuarón worked at a museum until later that year, when he landed his first big role as assistant director in Nocaut. Following various roles in other films, Cuarón was finally able to prove his solo directorial talent in 1991 with the film Sólo con tu pareja, a black comedy about a womanising businessman who contracts AIDS. Cuarón received major attention from around the world and was hired to direct an episode in the critically acclaimed Fallen Angels series. This was also his first job in the United States.

In 1995, Cuarón released his first children’s movie – an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel, A Little Princess. This was followed by an adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations in 1998, starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. Cuarón’s next film, the Academy Award nominated Y tu mamá también, was released in 2001 to major critical success. Y tu mamá también was a major turn for Cuarón both in story and style, telling the erotic tale of two sexually obsessed teenagers on a road trip.

Warner Brothers then invited Cuarón to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2001, taking the reigns from Chris Columbus. The Prisoner of Azkaban was notably darker in tone from the previous Potter films and is the most critically acclaimed of the series to date. In fact, J.K. Rowling has stated numerous times that this film is her personal favourite.

Cuarón’s next feature film will be an adaptation of P.D. James’s the Children of Men to be released in 2006.

Mike Newell
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Michael Cormac Newell, born on 28 March 1942 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, attended Cambridge University. Newell studied for three years at Granada Television, with the intention to work in theatre.

In the 1960s, Newell directed numerous British television shows, with his first film being the tele-movie, The Man in the Iron Mask (1977). In 1985, Newell directed the critically acclaimed Dance with a Stranger, an auto-biographical tale about the last woman to be hanged in Britain. Newell received the Award of the Youth at the Cannes Film Festival for his efforts.

Newell went on to direct more acclaimed films including Enchanted April (1992) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). These films set Newell as a competent director, and he went on to make many movies in Hollywood, working with some of the world’s biggest stars, including Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts.

In 2005, Newell became the first British director involved in the Harry Potter series with the Goblet of Fire. The film was a major success, grossing US$892 million worldwide, making it the eighth most successful film of all time, and the second most successful Potter film. Newell set out to make a dark film, saying that, "I was very anxious to break the franchise out of this goody-two-shoes feel. It's my view that children are violent, dirty, corrupt anarchists. Just adults-in-waiting, basically." The Goblet of Fire was noted for focusing on the boarding school aspect of the series, as well as the coming of age story, with teen crushes, dances and all.

Newell’s next film will be Love in the Time of Cholera, to be released in 2007.

David Yates
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Born in 1963 in St Helens, Merseyside, David Yates always had the ambition of becoming a director.

At the age of 14, Yates first saw Jaws and was inspired to work in the film industry. After receiving an 8mm camera from his mother, Yates shot anything and everything around him. He studied at the National Film and Television School, but believes that “there is no better way than just getting on and [filming]”. His favourite directors include Martin Scorsese, David Lean and Ken Loach.

Yates first broke into the film industry after making a short film which was bought by the BBC. His first professional directorial job was with Oranges and Lemons, again for the BBC. Yates went on to work largely in television, directing several high profile productions.

In 2004, Yates was chosen to direct the fifth film adaptation in the Harry Potter series, the Order of the Phoenix. Yates had never read a Potter book before being offered the role, but as he started to read, he became hooked and accepted the role. Yates is the second British director to take on a Potter film and has grand plans for the project, filming massive scenes around London landmarks. The Order of the Phoenix is Yates’s first major film, but has always wanted to direct a film on this scale since he was young. The trailer for the film is expected in the end of 2006, with the film’s release slated for the summer of 2007.