The Making of the Potterverse (33 page)

A granite plaque was place on a building important in Harry Potter’s history. “J.K. Rowling wrote some of the early chapters of
Harry Potter
in the rooms on the first floor of this building,” reads the plaque, which is placed next to a photo of Rowling outside the Black Medicine Coffee Company shop.

Warner Brothers announced that the first trailer for
Order of the Phoenix
would be attached to the theatrical release of the CG penguin film,
Happy Feet
.

A first edition signed Harry Potter novel raised over $100,000 for a children’s charity in auction.

In an online interview as reported by canmag.com, Rupert Grint suggested there was a chance that
Sorcerer’s Stone
and
Chamber of Secrets
director Chris Columbus might return for film six or seven.

While it won’t actually make people invisible as Harry’s does, a
team of American and British scientists developed an “invisibility cloak” that will render people, tanks and ships invisible to radar.

With Daniel Radcliffe worth an approximate $35–40 million,
Newsweek
asked if he was concerned about girls seeking him out for his money. “They are always a worry,” he said, “but I’ve got pretty good instincts for people. Normally, the people who are not genuine are the ones who say, ‘You know, I’m not just being your friend because you’re Harry Potter, right?’ And it’s like, ‘Oh, fine, but if that’s the case, why do you need to say that?’”

As reported by the
Colgate University News
, wizards and muggles of all ages took part in a reading of the first Harry Potter novel,
The Sorcerer’s Stone
, at the Hamilton Public Library. “One parent,” they offered, “dressed as Professor Snape, read a chapter in full character, British accent and all, much to the delight of listeners of all ages. Many children, dressed in their wizard robes, the typical attire of a Hogwarts student, enjoyed the arts and crafts area where they could create their own Harry Potter glasses or make theme-inspired buttons.”

On her official Web site, J.K. Rowling teased her fans with vague mentions of the title for book seven. “I’ve now got a third title,” she wrote. “I’ve been thinking back and I’ve had more titles than this for a couple of the previous books, so I’m not too worried by this. Title three currently is ahead by a short nose, or perhaps that should be a vowel and two consonants.”

Controversy continued to arise over the notion that Daniel Radcliffe would be appearing nude in the West End production of
Equus
. Producer David Push noted to the
Sunday Telegraph
, “The nudity and those scenes are an essential part of the story. We are not doing it as an excuse to show Harry Potter’s willy. Daniel is fully committed to the role and he has not asked for any special favors . . . I have been wanting to do a production of
Equus
for eight years and the problem has always been finding the right boy. When Daniel performed for us at the workshop, we couldn’t take our eyes off him.”

J.K. Rowling won a legal ruling over Iranian cybersquatters who had registered the domain www.JKRowling.ir.

The
Daily Record
reported on the shooting of Daniel’s kissing scene with actress Katie Leung, who reprises her role of Cho Chang in
Order of the Phoenix
. Smiled Daniel, “We probably got it on the thirtieth take. My God, it was fun. Me and Katie, we were awkward and nervous — at first, but once we got it, it was fine.”

EA Games announced a new title that would tie into the fifth Harry Potter film. Said Senior VP Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment Jason Hall, “Working with EA, we look forward to offering fans the most authentic Harry Potter game to date; one which captures the compelling story of the fiction and high visual quality of the movie. After reading the book and seeing the film, fans will be able to take advantage of the complete interactive experience with the
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
game.”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
won a British
BAFTA
Award in the category of the
BAFTA
Kids’ Vote. Rupert Grint attended the ceremony.

Covering
Order of the Phoenix
,
USA Today
featured an interview with Daniel Radcliffe in which he discussed the film: “Harry is waking up to the fact that life is very hard and people can be very nasty to each other and can do terrible things. There’s this ongoing theme which runs through the whole series, and that’s a loss of innocence.”

Speaking to Australia’s
Herald Sun
, Daniel Radcliffe admitted that he was a little nervous about how his part in this August’s
December Boys
will be received. Set in 1960s Australia, the film is about four orphans who compete with each other to prove who is more adoptable. Noted Daniel, “It does feel like a big deal and I am nervous about how it’s going to be received, and I’m nervous about what people are going to say, but that’s what happens. I think people will like it and the one thing they genuinely can’t say is that I’m playing Harry.”

In an interview with
Newsweek
, director David Yates emphasized the importance of the performances in the film. “The most important thing on screen is the actors,” he noted. “If the performance isn’t real, that million-dollar special effects shot behind the actor doesn’t count for anything.”

J.K. Rowling told Sky News that the challenge of finishing book seven was so stressful that it was affecting her dreams. “I don’t think anyone who has not been in a similar situation can possibly know how this feels. I am alternately elated and overwrought. For
years now, people have asked me if I ever dream I am in Harry’s world. The answer was no until a few nights ago when I had an epic dream that I was Harry and the narrator.”

The Internet went wild on December 21 when J.K. Rowling announced on her Web site that the official title of book number seven — the last Harry Potter novel ever — would be
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
, and that two characters would die. Speculation began running high that those two characters would ultimately be Harry and Voldemort.

After J.K. Rowling announced the title of her seventh and final Harry Potter novel, there was much conjecture about what exactly it meant, with fear creeping in that it could signal the death of Harry himself. The
Columbus Dispatch
turned to Scholastic for an explanation, and the publisher’s Kristen Moran replied that people in the office rushed to an unabridged dictionary. “Hallows means holy person or saint,” said Moran. “But we really don’t know what the title means.” That report also quoted Rowling from her site, where she wrote that she wasn’t finished with the book yet. “I’m now writing scenes that have been planned, in some cases, for a dozen years or even more,” Rowling is quoted. “I both want and don’t want to finish this book (don’t worry, I will).”

Years earlier, after Rowling had been turned down by numerous publishers and literary agencies, Christopher Little of his self-named
agency took the author on as a client and the rest, of course, is a bit of magical history. Now the Christopher Little Literary Agency is offering a £1,500 prize and a chance for representation to students who were taking a creative writing course at London’s City University. One point they made is that they’re not looking for a Rowling clone.

Britain’s
The Mirror
reported, “The final Harry Potter tale is No. 1 in Amazon’s online book chart — even though a release date has not been set.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
topped the list just eight hours after customers were offered the chance to reserve a copy online.”

In an amazing turn of events, 23-year-old Chilean journalism student Francisca Solar, who had written an unofficial Harry Potter story,
Harry Potter and the Decline of the High Elves
, found herself signed to a three-book deal by Random House. The first book in the series will be called
The Seventh M
.

According to
The Daily Princetonian
, Daniel Radcliffe would be joining the university as a part of the class of 2011. “Rumors have swirled for months that Radcliffe, who will graduate this June from the City of London School, was considering Princeton,” stated the
Princetonian.

According to the BBC, thousands of copies of J.K. Rowling’s
Fantastic Beasts
and
Quidditch Through the Ages
that were intended for recycling were stolen and now the fear is that these books, the proceeds for which all went to charity, will now be sold for profit.

Inspired by the Harry Potter phenomenon, the
BBC
announced a reality series called
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
, which will follow a group of children who are learning magic at a Harry Potter–like boarding school. The kids will learn card tricks, Latin spells and illusions.

Photos of Daniel Radcliffe nearly nude from the London stage production of
Equus
made their way into the media. The ensuing reports and outcry from some outraged parents was immediate. With Harry Potter headlines filling magazines, newspapers and
TV
news shows, it perhaps reinforces the reason why Daniel wanted to do the play in the first place: to create an image of himself separate and apart from the boy wizard.