In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone/Chamber of Secrets director Christopher Columbus talks about wishing to direct another Potter-related film, although he knows it is just a dream.

“I would love to go back and do another one,” says Columbus. “Not Fantastic Beasts as much, which I think is going to be amazing, but I would love to do another movie with those three characters — Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I’m just fascinated about what happened to them after the end of the last movie, because then they cut to 18 years ahead. There’s 18 years there of great Harry Potter stories.”

“I don’t have the courage to actually mention that to her because I have such respect for her,” says Columbus. “She should do what she wants to do, but I really would love to know what’s in her head about those missing years.”

With the coming of this release it is expected that Warner Bros. may reveal merchandise and graphics for Fantastic Beasts at the upcoming Licensing Expo next week.

The relevant parts of the press release may be read below:

With a powerhouse portfolio of entertainment properties—anchored by a theatrical slate of tentpole films, a fan-driven TV portfolio, global initiatives with immersive worlds, all-new animated content developed for younger fans, and a diverse lineup of pop-classic favorites—Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) soars into Licensing Expo 2015 with an unrivaled lineup of content support and partners that will drive its licensing, merchandising and retail business in 2016 and beyond.

“WBCP arrives at Licensing Expo with an unmatched portfolio of content and product offerings, led by the most anticipated feature film events of 2016—DC Comics’ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the first time fans will see Batman and Superman together in a theatrical event; DC Comics’ Suicide Squad, the first-ever theatrical team up of some of the most iconic Super-Villains; and from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” said Brad Globe, President of Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “Content is the cornerstone of our robust programs, and we have an unparalleled lineup of collaborations and partnerships, which is a testament to the trusted relationships we have built with all of our licensing and retail partners.”

[…]

The wizarding world continues to delight audiences with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut, which marks an expanded creative partnership between Warner Bros. Entertainment and J.K. Rowling, and which will be fully supported by WBCP to offer fans an exciting licensing and merchandising program. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the first in a new film series from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, is inspired by Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander.

“We are incredibly excited to further explore and dig deeper into our already strong portfolio with an eye towards content creation, allowing us to offer initiatives for girls, boys and preschoolers on a global scale,” said Karen McTier, Executive Vice President, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “With programs like DC Super Hero Girls, Batman Unlimited, DC Super Friends and more, WBCP is creating new content and building impactful activations with partners around the world.”

The release also included some information on the Potter theme parks and exhibitions:

Warner Bros.’ global themed entertainment offerings continue to expand worldwide bringing the Warner Bros. experience to theme parks, international cultural venues, live stages and more. In July of 2014, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter expanded globally, opening at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, and domestically with the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, the highly anticipated expansion at Universal Orlando Resort, creating the world’s first centrally themed, multi-park experience and expanding The Wizarding World of Harry Potter across both Universal Orlando theme parks. Additionally, the countdown has begun for the Spring 2016 opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood.

 Harry Potter: The Exhibition, currently in Paris and with more stops planned for 2015 and beyond, continues to bring the Harry Potter experience to fans with a state-of-the-art interactive, travelling exhibition featuring thousands of props, costumes and magical creatures from the Warner Bros. films based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, quite a few among us look to the great romances of film, TV and books for help when it comes to Valentine’s Day. A survey undertaken for Ladbrokes Bingo asked 2,000 people for their thoughts about favourite characters in fiction and their search for love.

To celebrate a long, complicated relationship between romance and fiction, we have created some fun Valentine’s cards based on some of the most iconic examples of love. Drawing inspiration from film favourites and TV megahits, we hope that these cards will help to make Valentine’s Day one to remember!

One of them is based on Harry Potter and has the phrase “Muggle Snuggle” along with Harry’s glasses and a scar within a heart. You can view all the Valentine’s on their website.

Along with the images, they have come up with some Harry Potter love statistics.

• 18% of 18-24 year olds voted Ron and Hermione as their favourite couple from TV and film.
• Maybe J.K Rowling should have played the fictional romances out a little differently as a whopping 20% of the nation believe that Harry and Hermione should have ended up together as opposed to only 12% who voted Ron and Hermione as their favourite TV/Film coupling.
• Apart from the Friends “we were on a break” fiasco, Ron dumping a very disgruntled Lavender in the hospital was named the second worst breakup of screen history. (18%)
• 14% of 18-24 year olds said Dobby’s death was the most heart-breaking moment in film history.
• The nation also voted Dobby’s death as more heart-breaking than The Notebook, My Sister’s Keeper, ET and My Girl!
• It seems the films were slightly more popular than the books; of those who had both read the books and seen the films, the majority (37%) said they preferred the films. Although by a very small amount as 35% said they preferred the books and 28% said they liked them equally.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition is headed to Paris in April of 2015. From April 4 – September 6, 2015 fans can see props and more from the films at the La Cité du Cinéma. A rough translation of the press release from WB France may be read below:

Christmas comes a little early this year! If you are among the millions of fans that the judgment of the Harry Potter saga was orphaned and dream to plunge in the heart of fabulous world created by JK Rowling, get ready to be amazed by the exhibition to be devoted to it. Majestic, playful and exotic, it will be held at the Cité du Cinéma de Paris, April 4 had 6 September 2015. If it still takes a little wait before the doors opened, there is however no time losing to book your admission ticket. Tomorrow at 10 am, visit www.ticketmaster.fr and with the usual distributors (Fnac, Auchan …) to relive the adventures of the famous wizard and discover the backstage of octalogie to global success.

Whether you are a fan of the first hour or simply curious Muggle to discover the world of Harry Potter, this exhibition is for you! Hosting the first French event dedicated entirely to the survivor, the City Cinema is about to enchant its visitors with area of 2,000m², which allow the public to soak up the magic of their heroes by browsing two film sets redeveloped colors the saga.

The program of festivities: introduction to the art of potions, Quidditch and visit full of surprises between the iconic setting of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and the following album, in the way like 9¾ , the Hogwarts Express, Hagrid‘s hut or dormitories Gryffindor. Open your eyes over your journey, round glasses Harry the Marauder’s Map and Nimbus 2000 are a must not to be missed.

By stage in the capital, this traveling exhibition invites viewers to better understand the scenes of the films that have transcended the cinema, bringing together an impressive panel of costumes, accessories and authentic decor elements. So that the immersion is complete, the techniques and skills used so that the magic operates will be explained in detail to visitors.

Having attracted over 3 million visitors worldwide, stopping in Chicago, Boston, Toronto, Seattle, New York, Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo and Cologne, Harry Potter: The Exhibition will take up residence in the City of Light to spring. “The audience will be captivated by the size of the collection,” says Karen McTier (Executive Vice President WarnerBros Consumer Products.) Confident: “We are pleased to offer a unique Harry Potter experience more.”

An ideal experience for young and old, to live with family or friends and, above all, giving free rein to his imagination. To best prepare your arrival, some practical information are required:

– The exhibition will be open from 10:30 am to 19h Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 20h on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and during school holidays. Nocturnes until 21:30 every first Friday of the month.

– The input is from slots and must be booked in advance, the last access will take place 90 minutes before the closing of the exhibition, the rates of 19.99 € for adults / € 15.99 for children (4-14 years) / 65 € for families (max. 2 adults and 2 children).

– Audio guides available, limited to a day.The perfect gift for a magical Christmas!

And do not forget the scenes of Harry Potter also visited throughout the year in the UK, thanks to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. The theme park dedicated to the famous wizard welcomes you with plenty of entertainment for young and old and a new attraction: the Dark Arts section. Enjoy now the promotional rate of 17h and 18h niche for you in the adventure and visit ‘Hogwarts in the snow.’

Practical info and reservations here: http://mywb.fr/ZULLMa

Thanks to SnitchSeeker for the tip.

In a new survey by Vue Cinemas, the Harry Potter books came out in the Top 5 Best AND Worst book series to be turned into films. Vue have sent over the results which you can read in full here. Find the results specific to Harry Potter below.

Harry Potter came out as the worst book series to be turned into a film, mainly due to plot gaps and actor choices. The top five worst books to be turned into films are as follows:

1. Harry Potter
2. 50 Shades of Grey (interesting as it’s not even been released yet)
3. Lord of the Rings
4. The Hobbit
5. Twilight

Lord of The Rings came out as the UK’s favourite book series to be turned into films, due to it staying true to the book, and it bringing to life what the reader imagined. The top five best books to be turned into films are as follows:

1. Lord of the Rings
2. Harry Potter
3. The Hunger Games
4. Batman
5. Bridget Jones’ Diary

Harry Potter was voted both the worst book adaptation, and the second best. In this context, worst doesn’t mean bad films, it means the series that people felt the most was missed out of. Plus, the books had such a wide-spread and intense following, that the films were always going to upset some fans.

Other little tidbits on the results:

• Out of the Harry Potter books and films, the books are the clear favourite amongst fans, with more preferring the book versions of Harry Potter than any other vs. questions in the survey. 12% more agreed that the books were better than the films. In fact, every region of the UK agreed that the books are better.
• The key moments respondents felt were missed out of the Harry Potter films were Peeves the Poltergeist and the Quidditch World Cup, followed Hermione’s elf rights group, SPEW.
• Females are bigger fans of the Harry Potter books than males, with females preferring the books, and males preferring the films.

MTVu held the first ever Fandom Awards at this year’s San Diego Comic Con and Harry Potter won Best Fandom Forever. Matthew Lewis accepted the award, a video of his speech may be watched below, thanks to Matthew-Lewis.com.

“Congratulations to all the fans,” said Lewis. “I’m sure we’ll all agree that the greatest stories are the ones that stay with us forever, so thank you very much for believing in us. We wouldn’t still be here without you.”

UPDATE: Here is the official video: