New Half-Blood Prince Trailer Running in Japan, New Stills of Snape on the Tower, Greyback, Draco and More

Thanks to Pottermania for letting us know about a trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that is running in Japan, that contains many new images from the upcoming film. You can see new stills of this trailer via this link, including a remarkable look at Snape on the Astronomy tower, wand at hand, gesturing to Harry to remain silent right before those pivotal events with Dumbledore, as well as a dramatic photo of Greyback dragging a victim, while the Death Eaters are creating havoc in Diagon Alley.

Update: At the request of Pottermania, we must ask you to view all of the remaining photos including ones of Draco, Luna in the Lion hat and more via their website. Please note: These stills are heavily watermarked and in some instances are blurry. We do not know if when this trailer will be released or online and will update with more when we can.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Rupert Grint Talks Kissing Scene in 'DH' and More in New Interview

In a new interview with the Telegraph Rupert Grint talked about the kissing scene he will take apart in with Emma Watson, during filming forHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as filming for Cherrybomb.

"As I've known Emma for so long, I reckon it will be 10 times worse," says the 20-year-old actor, who plays Ron Weasley.

"I really love the seventh book, but there is no way it will be tame with the Hermione stuff."

"I don't think it's quite up there with Dan's Equus, but it was quite a surreal experience, especially as we were sharing the bed with half a dozen camera crew," he says. "But, yeah, I was quite nervous, I think we both were.

"It was a new thing for the two of us – though, weirdly, I remember Kim and I doing a crossword in between takes. That definitely took our minds off the deed." He now hopes that Emma, 18, who plays the brainy Hermione Granger, will be similarly distracted. "I'll have a stack of crosswords at the ready," he says. To read the entire interview, click here

(SOURCE: HPANA)

Let's Go Shopping at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

It's a new year and time for a new poll at the Universal Orlando Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park website. The new poll asks fans : "Which would be your favorite place to shop in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?" 

Your choices are Honeydukes, Ollivanders, or Zonko's Joke Shop. To Vote click here. 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park attraction is under construction in Orlando, Florida and will be open sometime in 2010.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Ron Weasley's Sweetheart Necklace

The official Harry Potter store is now selling "Ron Weasley's sweetheart necklace," inspired, we suppose, by his "sweetheart" Lavender Brown in Half-Blood Prince.

It's the perfect Valentine's gift - only $79 and shipped for free!

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

New Videos of JKR at Beedle Launch

New videos of JK Rowling at The Tales of Beedle the Bard release in Edinburgh has been posted on the Bloomsbury website. At the tea party which housed roughly 200 students, she signs copies of Beedle, answers a few questions, and reads an except from the book.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard was released on December 4, 2008.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

High Res Photo of Harry, Dumbledore in Office

Last year we first saw several scans of a photo showing Harry (Dan Radcliffe) and Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) in the Headmaster's office, including this and this from a calendar for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. You can now see a high res version of the same photo here, courtesy of Oclumencia.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Dan Radcliffe on Harry Potter Book Purists and Fans of the Films

The Australian Herald Sun has released a new interview with Dan Radcliffe, where the Harry Potter gives his thoughts about the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and the two Deathly Hallows films. Of HBP he says he thinks they have struck a type of balance between the darker, intensity found in the sixth book and a bit of humor. Dan says "I mean, the one thing when I read the script I could always yearn for was more darkness and more of that real intense stuff, because I enjoy doing that more, but hopefully this time we have struck a balance between that darkness and a certain comedy in this film. "And what I think we've managed to do is not make it that kind of comedy that is farcical and pulling faces. "It's not that kind of comedy at all, it's much more subtle than that and hopefully people will find it funny - that's the aim anyway.'' 

Of particular interest are Dan Radcliffe's comments on the the two Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsfilms, and book purists feelings about the Harry Potter films. Quotage: "I think when the fans came on to the first film there would have been a section of the audience that didn't want to like it because they were the purists of the book,'' he says. "There are still those people out there, but you are never going to change their minds so just don't even try. 

"So I think the majority of the people out there, because the fan base has grown at about the rate the films have come out, we've managed to keep making them darker and dark enough to maintain the interests of these people. 

"And I think actually through making the films darker we've gained a lot. And also through people like (director) David Yates directing them, a certain amount of respect has been gained for the films as cinema.''

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Toby Jones to Provide Voice of Dobby the House Elf Again for "Deathly Hallows"

In September of last year, Harry Potter film producer David Heyman spoke to TLC about the previous cuts of the House Elves from the films, and their possible return for the two Deathly Hallows movies. At the time David Heyman told us that "it has been a while, for example, since we have seen Dobby and I suspect we are going to have to make more of Dobby in Seven than we might have done. there would be a return of things previously mentioned, like Dobby the House Elf. Today, the Telegraph reports on the career of Toby Jones and states that the actor will "soon be back in the recording studio for the next Harry Potter, in which he voices Dobby the House Elf."

Mr. Jones is then quoted as saying, "That was another job he got on the back of The Play What I Wrote. ''I was so tired, and my voice was so broken up, that when I went to audition, I reached registers I simply couldn't now. It was all very fortuitous.''

Production on two parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows begins next month in London, England for a 54 week shoot, with DH part one to be released in November of 2010.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Broadbent on Slughorn in Half-Blood Prince: "A Good Man, A Decent Man, but a Weak Man"

The LA Times has posted a new feature on actor Jim Broadbent and his role in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The Oscar winning actor joins the cast this year as Potions professor Horace Slughorn, and Jim Broadbent says of his character: "a good man, a decent man, but a weak man." Jim Broadbent goes on to praise the trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint ("so contained and brilliant and professional,") and also has high marks for the care and dedication to the original source material found in the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. Quotage:

"I saw the first film when it came out, and it was so brilliantly conceived," Broadbent said. "You read the book and then you see the film and every moment you think, 'That is exactly how I imagined it.' It was not absolutely faithful because you cannot be when you take it to film, but the feel and look of it was terribly meticulous. That care led to this great success. The reading audience has been satisfied with it and wanted more and gone along with it."

As released last year and just recently, you can see several high res photos of Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn here, here, here and here via our image galleries.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released July 17, 2009.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

New Hi-Res Images from 'HBP'

Thanks to Warner Bros. we now have two new high-resolution images from the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie that first appeared in the February issue of Empire magazine.

The Weasley Wizard Wheezes store with James and Oliver Phelps and director David Yates.

The Three Broomsticks featuring director David Yates, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione) and Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn).

(SOURCE: HPANA)