The Harry Potter Movie Casting
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The Harry Potter Movie Casting |
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| The Author
-The Sorting Hat
The Books
The Movie
Interactive
-Chat
The Author
-About J.K. Rowling
The Headmaster
|
The Hollywood Reporter says that acclaimed British actress, Dame Maggie Smith may be set to play Professor Minerva McGonagall in the film. Confirmation from Warner Bros. that Dame Smith was indeed in talks for the role, but there are some potential scheduling conflicts that are yet to be worked out. For those unfamiliar with the Potter mythos (is there anyone out there that still is?), McGonagall is the deputy headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the head of Gryffindor House, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all residents. Dame Maggie Smith has an impressive filmography with many Shakespearean parts. Though the film is hardly a fair sampling of her incredible talent, you'll know her from her performance as Mother Superior in Sister Act. Genre fans may also remember her as Robin Williams' foster grandmother in Hook (one of the few "magical" characters in the film). It also seems that actor Tim Roth is in talks to play the dark and mysterious Professor Severus Snape. According to Variety columnist Michael Fleming, it's likely that Roth will sign a multi-picture deal to portray Snape in the first few films of the ready-made Potter franchise. Roth is a nearly 40-year-old British actor with wide-ranging talent. He moved from London, England to LA in 1990, and has accumulated an impressive Hollywood filmography. Roth is a favorite of director Quentin Tarantino, appearing in Reservoir Dogs, and Pulp Fiction. In 1996, Roth was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as villain Archibald Cunningham in Rob Roy. There's no question that Tim Roth has the talent, but what about the look for the role? Roth looks to be a spot-on match for Snape. He can work that mean and mysterious role as well as any actor I've seen on screen. If this film lives up to the strength of its cast, then we're in for a really movie here folks! The latest addition to the Potter cast is actor-comedian Robbie Coltrane. The Hollywood Reporter claims that Coltrane is in negotiations to play the large, and loveable giant, Hagrid. The acclaimed Scottish actor is best known in the UK, for his role as Fitz in the original British version of the crime-drama series Cracker. American audiences will recall Coltrane from his recent roles in Message in a Bottle (as Charlie) and the two latest James Bond films, where he has portrayed the Russian black marketer Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky. Coltrane's name has most recently been associated with the forthcoming Jack the Ripper film From Hell, but who knows what a multi-picture Potter deal would do to his availability for that project. Coltrane, like Roth, is an actor with a wide range of talent. He can play serious, hysterically funny, or sometimes a quirky mix of both. It's this Potter fan's opinion that Robbie could bring just the right amount of warmth and funny eccentricity that Hagrid needs. However, when I first heard this news, one question came to mind. It didn't have anything to do with Coltrane's talent, it was, "Is he big enough?" Robbie Coltrane is probably one of the largest actors you'll find with such a high degree of talent, but in the minds of many Potter readers, Hagrid is so large that he can't be accurately realized without the use of some sort of special effects. In her books, J.K. Rowling makes a special effort to impress upon us Hagrid's immense and unbelievable size. Coltrane is a big guy, and would work in the role as is, but it'd be perfect if his size were enhanced using special lensing techniques, or some sort of post-production effect. Weta is doing similar effects on Lord of the Rings by altering the size of the film's actors, so surely this could be accomplished for Hagrid. | |||||||