Harry Potter and the "Monsoon" Director
Is a Monsoon heading to Hogwarts?
Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, who scored an art-house hit with the 2001 arranged-marriage romantic comedy Monsoon Wedding, says she's been approached to helm Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth film based on J.K. Rowling's wildly successful fantasy series.
"I'm getting offers to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I read it over the weekend. I'm still deciding," Nair told the Times of India this week. "I'm not letting all this go to my head. I'm grounded. I practice detachment. It helps me keep my balance."
Nair adds that her 12-year-old son may very well help sway her decision.
"My son Zoharan's excited," she added. "I've seen all the Harry Potter with him.
A Warner Bros. rep would not confirm whether the studio was in talks with anyone about directing Phoenix.
The Harry Potter director's chair is turning out to be as turbulent as the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.
American director Chris Columbus oversaw the big-screen versions of the first two books--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. While both flicks received only lukewarm reviews, they were magical at the box office, raking in $317 million and $261 million, respectively, in 2001 and 2002.
He bowed out the third installment, this summer's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, choosing instead to remain a producer and hand over the reins to Mexican auteur Alfonso Cuaron.
While reviewers praised Cuaron's dark vision and edgy style, Azkaban failed to reach the levels of its predecessors, grossing only $247 million.
Warners turned to British filmmaker Mike Newell to direct the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. That movie is scheduled to hit theaters in June 2005.
Nair first hit Hollywood's radar with 1988's haunting drama Salaam Bombay!, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film, and got her a gig directing Denzel Washington in the 1991 interracial love story Mississippi Masala.
Aside from the crowd-pleasing comedy Monsoon Wedding, Nair is best known for indie romantic dramas that explore different cultures, whether Cuban--see 1995's The Perez Family--or her native Indian, as in 1996's Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love.
Nair also directed the Emmy-winning 2002 HBO drama Hysterical Blindness starring Uma Thurman. She contributed a segment to 11'09"01, the controversial film that tried to make sense of the September 11 attacks by compiling 11 shorts by 11 international filmmakers.
Nair's latest film, an adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's 19th century novel Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon, was just released to theaters Wednesday to mixed reviews.
The Big Picture
Gossip Curl Looks like Leighton's sailing the Good Ship Lollipop as she shows off a Shirley Temple 'do
More PhotosMost Commented
- Bitch-Back! Breaking News—Johnny's a Hottie (918)
- Rob and Kristen "Relaxed" Together in NYC (674)
- Rob Flies Back to L.A. With Kristen (601)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Adam Lambert: For Your Entertainment—or His? (450)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (429)
- Bitch-Back! Was Sweet Taylor Ever a Li'l A-Hole? (384)
- Review: New Moon Is Either Just Fine or Way Mopey, Depending On Who You Are (375)
- Bitch-Back! Is There Drama on the Gossip Girl Set? (345)
- Ridiculous Twilight Hookups in an "All Taken" Cast (348)
Top 10 Stories
- The Real Reason Oprah Quit Oprah: Sarah Palin!
- Beyoncé Is Yours on Thanksgiving
- Justin Bieber: Blame Twitter for His Broken Foot
- Adam Lambert on Early Show: I'm Not a Babysitter
- Dancing Finale: Did Donny Really Beat Marie?
- Uh-Oh, John Mayer's Ego May Explode
- Carrie Ann Inaba Trades Judges' Chair for Hospital Bed
- Dancing With the Stars: A New Winner Raises the Disco Ball
- J.Lo's Ex: There's "Maybe One Spanking," but I'm Not Selling a Sex Tape
- Nicole Richie Back in Her Own Bed
Fashion Police
First Lady of FashionMichelle is glamorous and elegant in a strapless gown at the White House's first state dinner
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
0 Comments
Now loading...