Producer David Heyman recently discussed the Harry Potter series with Variety.  He talks about the films award chances, his views on the success of the films and his production company, Heyday Films.

CG: Do you attribute that success to being faithful to the books and keeping fans happy? (Author J.K. Rowling’s) books provide a loyal fanbase, but I also think we made films that stood on their own terms. You never see “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” with film covers. Jo was very keen to keep the books and the films separate. They’re very different. Clearly, the success of the books has made the films possible and fueled their success, but it’s amazing what percentage of filmgoers did not come to the films from the books.

CG: You famously optioned the first book in the galley stage in 1999, not knowing its franchise potential … I never viewed it as a franchise. It’s a series of films, one film at a time. That’s always been the way we have approached it. This label ‘franchise’ … that’s not where it began.