Today WB issued a press release on the opening of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, read it here. Two concept art images have also been released and may be seen in the gallery. Some details from the EMPIRE BIG SCREEN event held today can be read below:

• Warwick Davis, Nick Dudman, Evanna Lynch, Sam Burroughs, Ben Shephard are all here to present and introduce this new experience. It’s going to be HUGE!  Dumbledore’s office, the Great Hall, the corridors – and so much more. All the wands, the costumes – there will be 150,000 square feet of Pure Potter.
• […] we wanted to recreate the creature shop – so you can see everything in the tour. Aragog Buckbeak and many of the other creatures – even the smaller ones, are going to be seen during the tour.
• So, we’ve got a whole host of Potter. Creatures and costumes, full sets and everything which has been preserved from the films (which is a lot according to Nick Dudman) will be on show. Spring 2012 is the vague date…

Thanks to HeyUGuys!

It has been rumored since the Deathly Hallows 2 premieres that Emma Watson would be starring as Belle in Guillermo del Toro’s Beauty and the Beast. MTV has posted a new interview with del Toro which confirms that it is in the works. Of Emma being in the role he has this to say:

Del Toro didn’t have a timeline yet for when his first draft on “Beauty and the Beast” would be done, but he said it should be within the next few years. After all, he’d need it to be done by then for leading lady Watson to still be a prime choice for the role of the titular beauty.

“It’s a movie that you have to make in the next few years for Emma to be perfect for the part,” he said. “I think she is the perfect character to do that movie.”

Instead of a modernized take like this year’s “Beastly,” consider del Toro’s movie to be a classic retelling of the tale as old as time. He confirmed that his version will take place in the same period setting as the fairy tale.

You can watch the interview below:

The Pottermore Insider blog has been updated with a list of all the questions and answers fans had to solve during the Magical Quill Challenge!  Fans that pre-registered should be getting their welcome emails any time now but we are not sure of the date(s).  All we know is that we will be entering before the official launch in October.

Day 1 Clue
How many breeds of owl are featured on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign?
Answer: 5
Multiply this number by 49.
Solution: 245

Day 2 Clue
What is the number of the chapter in which Professor McGonagall cancels the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff?
Answer: 14
Multiply this number by 42.
Solution: 588
(Note: if you read the Day 2 clue in a language other than English you would have been asked to multiply the answer by a different number to ensure you saw the right language page.)

Day 3 Clue
In the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, in Harry’s third year, how many points is Gryffindor leading by before Harry catches the Golden Snitch?
Answer: 60
Multiply this number by 35.
Solution: 2100

Day 4 Clue
How many students take part in the Triwizard Tournament during Harry’s fourth year?
Answer: 4
Multiply this number by 28.
Solution: 112

Day 5 Clue
What is the house number of the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix in Grimmauld Place?
Answer: 12
Multiply this number by 21.
Solution: 252

Day 6 Clue
How many chapters are there in HARRY POTTER and the Half-Blood Prince?
Answer: 30
Multiply this number by 14.
Solution: 420

Day 7 Clue
How many Deathly Hallows are there?
Answer: 3
Multiply this number by 7.
Solution: 21

InStyle has just posted an interview with Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Young Grindlewald in Deathly Hallows: Part II, where he discusses his various roles and, of course, Twilight and Harry Potter and who would win in a fight.

A lot of your roles seem to be quite fantastical – Harry Potter, Twilight, even Sweeney Todd, would you like to do a role that was just simply a guy living now?

If it was a good story I would jump at the chance, it just so happens that most things that I’ve done has been that sort of supernatural role. But that’s because it’s a good story. I’ve just got a new project, which is a fantasy series, so for the near future it’s all fantastical.

You’ve been in both Harry Potter and Twilight, was it a different experience on each set?

Every job is different. My time on Harry Potter was very, very short, whereas my time on Twilight was quite long and extended. Every job brings a new life experience. I was able to come back home when I was in Potter, whereas when I was in Twilight I was out in Baton Rouge and Vancouver for five months together. Every job should just bring something new and exciting and should help you grow.

Who would win the battle between team Twilight and team Potter?

Now, I got asked this question the other day, but if it was just the two leads – Edward vs Harry. I said Edward would win in that situation, because once you get the wand out of Harry’s hand, he’s dead. But, you’ve thrown a new dynamic into it because if it was a team battle, honestly then, I don’t know. I probably have to say the vampires again, they do move at super speed but the other guys have wands and you can stand back, you don’t have to get so close. Who knows? It’s a debate that philosophers have been thinking about for years now!

Bloomsbury have just emailed to remind us that there are only 3 weeks left to vote for our favourite Harry Potter characters!  Voting began on May 16th and there have been over 63,000 votes with the top ten characters currently taking up 45,000 of those votes. Early results are showing a clear front runner with over 5000 more votes than the character at number 2.

Don’t miss out on your chance to vote for your favourite character. Go to www.bloomsbury.com/harrypotter and make your vote count.

We’ve been emailed on behalf of Harry Potter: The Exhibition to remind Potter fans in the US that they still have a few weeks left to visit Harry Potter: The Exhibition in New York City before it moves to Australia! They sent over a press release that you may read here.

Harry Potter fans across the U.S. can still visit Harry Potter: The Exhibition and step inside the famous wizard’s magical world, only through September 5 at Discovery Times Square.

Tickets are available for purchase online at www.DiscoveryTS.com, at the Discovery Times Square box office (226 West 44^th Street) or by calling (866) 987-9692.

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The exhibition requires a time-entry ticket and guests are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance to ensure the best date and time.  General public admission to Harry Potter: The Exhibition is $26 for adults; $23.50 for seniors (65 and over) and $19.50 for children (4-12); children under 4 years of age are free. VIP passes are also available for $49.50. For additional information, please visit the website.