Guillermo Del Toro Campains for The Deathly Hallows
Posted by Michelle Graham (michelle@filmschoolrejects.com) on January 10, 2008
After campaigning to direct the seventh and final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, in an MTV interview whilst in Europe only a couple of months ago, Guillermo Del Toro has begun to further his attempts over on US soil.
According to MTV’s movie blog, Del Toro fell under the Potter spell even since he read the final chapter in his destiny, citing the fact that the books have grown darker and more mature since we were first introduced to the characters. For a director whose imagination has brought the fantastical world of Pan’s Labyrinth to life, the events of Hallows must seem so rich a source for him, from the “deathstick”, a wand which can never be beaten to the “resurrection stone”, a stone which allows you to visit those who have died. Without spoiling the ending of the book for those who have not yet read it (similar to Dr. Kelso in Scrubs, though how you have gotten this far without finding out the ending is beyond me..) these items figure heavily in the book’s climax, enabling a trip to the afterlife and an epic battle, far beyond any we’ve seen in any other Potter book prior. Well, with the possible exception of the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Order of the Phoenix, that is.
Del Toro’s touch to Hallows would certainly be a welcome addition, if he took the same Gothic fairy tale approach that was present in Pan’s Labyrinth and applied it to this story, it would certainly raise the final entry in the Harry saga to be one of the best. Many have criticized the Potter adaptations as mere shadows of the original books, with dodgy acting and poor direction and atmosphere, but there’s always the possibility that the fans will finally be satisfied, and who better to accomplish this feat than Del Toro?
Talking Point: Should they hand the reigns of Harry Potter over to Del Toro for the final film?
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