Big Picture
Kate Upton Takes Cover Plus, Nicole Kidman hangs out with her family and Bradley Cooper is a grizzly guy. The latest pics!
MORE PHOTOS +Most Commented
- TV's Top Couples Tournament: Vote in the Final Round! (2036)
- TV's Top Couples Tournament: This Round Is Closed, Please Stand By (974)
- TV's Top Couples Tournament: This Round Is Closed, Please Stand By (694)
- Afternoon Mail! Are Gleeks Having More Sex Than Vamps? (586)
- TV's Top Couple Tournament: And the Winner Is... (493)
- Whitney Houston Dead at 48 (394)
- Beyoncé and Jay-Z Share First Photos of Baby Blue Ivy! (391)
- New Ask Ted Video! Should Kristen Stewart Play Elizabeth Taylor? (297)
- Morning Mail! Is Lea Michele Ready to Walk Like an Egyptian? (286)
- Twilight Director Talks Kristen Stewart and Ex Michael Angarano: "They Were Such a Great Couple" (261)
Top 10 Stories
- Playmate Claire Sinclair Describes Scene of Alleged Domestic Dispute With Marston Hefner
- Glee-Dux: Guess Who's Back?! V-Day Episode Delivers Romance, Smooches and Shockers!
- Blake Lively Gets Restraining Order Against Man Who Wanted to "Guide" Her
- 19 Kids and Counting Alleged Extortion Plot: Singer Laughs Off "Intimate Photos"
- Rumer Willis' Hollywood Hills Home Burglarized
- Whitney Houston and Other Divas Who Died Too Soon
- Chris Brown Tweets to Haters After Grammy Win
- Whitney Houston Tribute: Watch LeAnn Rimes' Emotional Performance of "I Will Always Love You"
- Oprah Twitter Scandal! Winfrey Apologizes After Soliciting Nielsen Viewers to Watch OWN
- Glee Scoop: There's a New Love Triangle Going Down!
Fashion Police
Angelina: Going Grey! Plus, Christina Hendricks, Vanessa Hudgens, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Michelle Williams and Kristen Wiig. Rate the highs and lows!
MORE PHOTOS +
Our Partners
He's Harry Potter!
On Friday the not-so-reliable, non-magical types in the British press and at the Web gossip mill Ain't It Cool News insisted a young British actor named Gabriel Thomson had been chosen for the coveted lead role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
But Monday morning, the studio behind the film, Warner Bros., made the official announcement on the film's Website (www.harrypotter.warnerbros.com) and proved the prognosticating pundits way wrong.
Daniel Radcliffe, an 11-year-old aspiring actor, will be Harry. The young thespian has appeared in the BBC's David Copperfield and will be seen later this year in the John Boorman film The Tailor of Panama.
Harry's best pals at Hogwarts have also been revealed. Ten-year-old Emma Watson will play the studious Hermione, and 11-year-old Rupert Grint is the redheaded Ron Weasley. Neither has any major professional experience, but Warners says both have acted in school plays.
"We searched through all Muggle and Wizard households to find just the right young people to play Harry, Ron and Hermione, and we have found them in Dan, Rupert and Emma," says Lorenzo di Bonaventura, president of Warners Worldwide Theatrical Production. "These are magical roles, the kind that come around once in a lifetime, and they required talented children who can bring magic to the screen."
Director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman picked the three wizards-in-training among the thousands of children who auditioned to play the roles.
"We saw so many enormously talented kids in the search for Harry," said Columbus. "The process was intense, and there were times when we felt we would never find an individual who embodied the complex spirit and depth of Harry Potter."
The casting announcements end months of speculation over just who would make the perfect Harry. Steven Spielberg, who was originally supposed to direct, reportedly bowed out after author J. K. Rowling nixed the filmmaker's pick for Harry. Spielberg wanted Sixth Sense spook spotter (and red-blooded American) Haley Joel Osment; Rowling insisted on a British youth for the part.
Once Columbus was aboard, rumors abounded that he was looking at an American to play Potter--a 10-year-old New Jersey actor named Liam Aiken. The most recent round of rumors, perpetuated last week by Ain't It Cool and the British tabloids, had the 13-year-old Thomson in the role.
Columbus says when Radcliffe walked into the room, "we all knew we had found Harry. We were equally elated upon meeting Emma and Rupert, who are perfect for the roles of Hermione and Ron. I couldn't be happier to begin work with such talented, inspiring young actors."
Heyman said they were happy to put the funny little rumors to rest. "These are tremendously talented British kids who will bring so much to the film. We have always been and continue to be devoted to remaining true and faithful to the book."
And Rowling says she doesn't think Columbus could have found a better Harry. "I wish Dan, Emma and Rupert the very best of luck and hope that they have as much fun acting the first year at Hogwarts as I had writing it."
0 Comments
Now loading...