Harry Potter exits with a bang and a sigh

As the Harry Potter film series gets closer to wrapping this summer, the rumoured Potter prequel seems more like Muggle wishful thinking.

Author J.K. Rowling has flat-out said no to another go-round for the fantasy series. And Potter producer David Heyman can only manage a "never say never" response to the likelihood of it happening.

So, the recent DVD release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 serves to remind fanatics that the swan song is fast approaching. Part 2 hits theatres with a great deal of anticipation, and just a little melancholy, on July 15.

Already, the three Potter principals have moved on with their careers.

Less child imp and more young adult at 21, Daniel Radcliffe is J. Pierrepont Finch in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Not only has 20-year-old Emma Watson clipped her Hermione hair, she enrolled in Ivy League's Brown University, then dropped out this term to consider how she will make her transition into the post-Potter zone.

A cherubic Ron no more, Rupert Grint, 22, patiently waits for the go-ahead on the film, Eddie the Eagle, in which he is tentatively set to play the inept British ski jumper who made a name for himself at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

Financially, Grint, Watson, and, especially Radcliffe, can count on their Potter millions to allow them to do what they want, when they want.

All things considered, it's been quite a record-setting ride for all concerned.

Globally, Rowling has sold more than 450 million copies of the seven-book series chronicling the magical adventures of Harry Potter, the resilient wizard and arch-enemy of the evil Lord Voldemort.

The loyal films based on the novels have surpassed even the most ambitious expectations. The word-wide box-office total is expected to hit a whopping $7.5 billion US by the time Deathly Hallows: Part 2 runs its theatrical course this summer.

Despite that commercial success, Radcliffe is more! thought ful about a Potter overview during interviews promoting Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in London.

"Even though there are films, Harry Potter is essentially, at the heart of it, a literary phenomenon," said Radcliffe at a Claridge's Hotel suite.

"The most remarkable thing, for me, is that it has inspired a generation of really, really literate, interesting fans people so inspired by the books, they have expanded their reading into other areas."

The Potter movies have made an indelible mark, as well. And they've managed to do so with multiple directors.

Credit for the consistency must go to producer Heyman, who convinced Rowling he could translate the books effectively to the big screen without sacrificing the essence of her stories.

"I tried to remove ego from the process, so we would make it about the books first, and then the films," said Heyman.

Kicking off the series was American director Chris Columbus, who was patient with the young actors and dutiful in his presentations of the film versions of Rowling's Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets.

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron brought flair to the Prisoner of Azkaban. Brit Mike Newell took on the fourth, the Goblet of Fire, adding a darker tone to the proceedings.

A more ominous approach seems especially evident since former Brit-TV director David Yates arrived to shape the fifth Potter instalment, the Order of the Phoenix, then the Half-Blood Prince and the two-part finale, Deathly Hallows.

Yates hinted that he's saved the most memorable, and the most threatening, for last. He said Part 1 hinted at what's to come by its "very raw, almost verite documentary" approach.

Apparently, Part 2 will end the Potter franchise with a bang, not a whimper. "The second one is like a big opera with huge battles."

Watson has other ideas. Her favourite segments in Part 2 involve fewer special effects and more emoting, as Hermione and Ron refine their relationship. But she's not referring to the oft-d! iscussed kiss between Grint's Ron and Watson's Hermione in one scene.

"We are kind of like a comedy act, because it's the first time that you see Hermione and Ron in tune," she said of Part 2. "I think we have really funny moments, and I enjoyed it, because Rupert is a great comedic actor."

Meanwhile, the Potter spinoff industry keeps chugging along.

A Harry Potter museum is planned for Leavesden Studios, where all eight Potter pictures were filmed just outside London.

Already operating in Orlando is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park.

Currently in New York, there's Harry Potter: The Exhibition. In the middle of a worldwide tour, the all-things-Harry-Potter exhibit showcases artifacts, props and costumes from the movies.

Heyman even predicts that, eventually, the seven books and eight movies will be reissued, and after "a suitable length of time," the films will be re-made "for a whole new generation."

The only sure thing for him is the feeling of a job well done.

"I am very proud of what we managed to accomplish," he said.

Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun