Aug 15 2008
Harry Potter’s running late at Hogwarts
For all of you muggles who’ve been eagerly awaiting the latest cinematic installment of teen wizard Harry Potter’s adventures, you’re going to have to put your zeal in cruise control and coast for a while. That’s because Warner Bros. has suddenly decided to delay the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by about eight months! That’s right, its original release date of November 2008 has officially been changed to July 17, 2009. You can see the altered release date here, along with the trailer which still announces “November.”
Why the delay, you ask? Well, there haven’t been any rumors of turmoil on the production or last minute rewrites, nor has anything been leaked about problems with effects work (although, for a fantasy spectacle like this, I figure a movie [or “show” as they say in industry-speak] can always use more time for FX). Warner Bros. president Alan Horn merely says that unleashing the sequel during the summer makes better financial sense (i.e., summer is blockbuster season, dontcha know) and “the summer season is an ideal window for a family…release.” Gee, well why didn’t they think about that before planning a November unveiling and tagging that date on a zillion trailers? Horn also hinted that the three-month writer’s strike that ended back in February shook things up a bit, but he didn’t specifically name Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as having been affected.
Anyway, before you “Avada Kedavra” Mr. Horn and his minions, just keep in mind that you can bide your time with the latest book from Potter author J.K. Rowling, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which will hit stores on December 8… unless “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” delays the release of that one too.
