In Total Film‘s latest issue they have some new information on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Director Davis Yates, producer David Heyman, screenwriter Steven Kloves, and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) spoke with them while on the set.

Yates called Part I a road film, saying it was dynamic, adrenalised, and visceral. He continued, “It’s a refugee story about three kids cut off from everything they know and everybody they love, being pursued relentlessly by people who want to murder them.”

He then pondered about the split and how one should go about splitting one story to make it two distinct stories. “Do you break it with a moment of suspense or one of resolution?” he asked aloud.

He also called Part II,  “A big opera, a great big epic, with huge battles.”

Emma said she felt she was on a different film as this film doesn’t have the structure that the previous films had.  She explained, “The others have this structure. You know, we come into the Great Hall and there’s the opening talk. And that’s gone.”

Screenwriter Steven Kloves gave a bit of a hint about the split, saying it was the most sound creative decision on where the split occurs.  He also stated that the split will give a proper send-off to certain characters, “It should allow us to stretch a bit with the characters and give them the proper send-off.”

Thanks SS!

In a bunch of new interviews (one, two, three), David Heyman, David Barron, director David Yates, and actors Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, and Jessie Cave talk about the Harry Potter Films.

“Ultimately, what makes these books work, what I love about the books, is that for all the spectacle, for all the adventure, (there are) the characters.” Part I will be “the road movie” with the young stars on the run, Heyman says. The final battle comes in Part II. “And what we are trying to do in this final battle, as much as we can, is root it in characters! For me, it’s really all about the characters and it’s about the people who are battling and, if you’re invested in that, that is what will make it work!”

Heyman has predictions about co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson:  “Dan will continue acting and maybe directing. I think he’s interested in that.  Rupert will continue acting. Rupert is one of the most original people you will ever meet, really lovely. He’s a one-off. And I think Rupert is a really talented actor with great comic timing.  Emma, if she wants, can be a movie star. She is hugely talented and incredibly in touch with her imagination. She is fiercely intelligent and I think she could do whatever she chooses to do.”

Thanks SS!

There are some additional details on the Half-Blood Prince BluRay including some fun news about the special features!

• WB Maximum Movie Mode with director David Yates, producers David Heyman and David Barron, and cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Tom Felton, including Focus Points, picture-in-picture and image galleries (BD exclusive)
• Additional scenes (6’31”)
• Close-Up with the Cast and Crew of Harry Potter: hosts Matthew Lewis (“Neville Longbottom”) and Alfred Enoch (“Dean Thomas”) lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team (28’30”)
• J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life: a fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (49’32”)
• One-minute Drills: the cast has 60 seconds to describe their character’s personality, history, relationships and other traits before time runs out (6’43”)
• What’s on Your Mind: hosted by Tom Felton, the cast is put on the spot when asked a series of rapid-fire questions on their likes and dislikes. (6’41”)

Thanks Lewis Lovers!

The LA Times has a new interview with Producer David Heyman and in the article they have a photo of Daniel and Rupert the first time they met!

“One night, looking for a break, I went to the theater with Steve Kloves, the screenwriter who has written five of the six films. There sitting behind me was this boy with these big blue eyes. It was Dan Radcliffe. I remember my first impressions: He was curious and funny and so energetic. There was real generosity too, and sweetness. But at the same time he was really voracious and with hunger for knowledge of whatever kind.” He coaxed the youngster’s parents into bringing him by for an audition. “I watched that audition tape recently — we’ll be putting it on one of the DVD releases — and I barely recognized him.”

“I know they all will have great success in whatever they choose to do,” Heyman said at his Watford office, putting away his photo collection. “Emma is astonishingly bright. She is radiant and relaxed. Dan is extremely focused on his acting, and I have the fortune too to read his poetry and short stories, and there are some major poets who have written the most glowing, supportive things about his work. And Rupert — Rupert is the most natural comedian of the bunch. I think that he is like an old person in a young person’s body. He is a wonderful eccentric, a distinct original.”

Collider.com has a new interview out with David Heyman where he discusses a bunch of fun topics!  Here are some highlights from the long interview:

The ending of part 2 is one of the last things they’re going to shoot. David also says he expects the ending battle to be around 30 minutes in the movie. He says the gang gets to Hogwarts early on and then they’re a lot of build up to the battle.

Well, I’d say that Part 1 is a road movie. You know Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the run. It’s quite naturalistic in the way it’s been shot. And I think the 2nd half is more operatic with the huge, great battle for Hogwarts. It’s very emotional.

We haven’t done that but we have talked about the ultimate collector edition and things like that, which we’re already working on. I’m sure the DVD’s will find themselves repackage every which way over the coming years. But we are developing the ultimate collector’s edition and I’m sure…and there’s additional material that’s going on each of those, but there’s been no discussion about repackaging the films with cut scenes or in different ways, not yet.

SS recently had the opportunity to interview Harry Potter producer David Heyman!

• When asked if the adult actors will have more screen-time in Deathly Hallows, he stated that they would certainly not in the first part as it is solely a road trip for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. On the second part, however, the adults will have bigger roles, but the focus will remain on the three leads; the adult characters will be featured according to their relation to the main three.

• David spoke about the special collector’s editions of the Harry Potter DVDs, most notably the extras, including audition tapes for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson), which will be released with Sorcerer’s Stone. He said he may put Evanna Lynch’s audition for Luna Lovegood in the DVD set for Order of the Phoenix; and Jessie Cave’s improvised screen test with Rupert Grint in the Gryffindor common room for Half-Blood Prince.

• When Dan, Rupert, and Emma were cast nine years ago, David vividly recalled how scared and nervous Dan was during the press conference, while Rupert was chatty and far more confident. He praised Rupert for his uniqueness and eccentric ways (pointing out his odd choice of purchases, including the ice cream van and hovercraft), and that he has remained unchanged, and very funny and sweet from the beginning until now.