Universal Orlando Announces 'A Celebration of the Harry Potter Films'

This November Universal is hosting a big three-day event in celebration of all eight Harry Potter films!  From the press release:

This special event will be hosted by Warner Bros. and will celebrate a decade of movie history by allowing fans to share their love for the Harry Potter films. The event will take place from Friday, November 11, to Sunday, November 13, at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, home to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

During this special event, guests can celebrate their favorite memories and stories of Harry Potter with filmmakers, cast members and fellow fans. While all theme park guests will be able to enjoy The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during their visit, only a limited number of guests and those who buy special event packages will have access to exclusive benefits such as:

• A spectacular evening gala in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Autograph signings with stars from the Harry Potter films
• Q&A sessions with Harry Potter filmmakers and cast members, along with the creators of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Screenings of all eight Harry Potter films – including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" at the AMC Universal Cineplex 20 in Universal CityWalk. Access to the screenings can be added to the vacation packages for an additional fee.

Additional details can be read on Universal's website.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

Warner Bros. Announces Leavesden Studios Plans and Potter Set Tours in 2012

Warner Bros. have revealed their plans to redevelop Leavesden Studios into a "state-of-the-art filmmaking hub" and provide fans with behind-the-scenes tours of the Harry Potter sets.

Leavesden Studios which is located in Hertfordshire, England, has been home to the Harry Potter films for the past decade.

As part of the renovations, two new soundstages will be built to hold sets used in the Harry Potter films as well as numerous other film memorabilia. The behind-the-scenes tours of these soundstages are tentatively scheduled to begin around Easter 2012.

Early concept art of the new Leavesden can be seen at Empire Online.

Barry Meyer, Warner Bros. chairman and CEO expressed his excitement over the new project, saying:

"Our multi-million pound investment in creating a state-of-the-art, permanent UK film production base further demonstrates our long-term commitment to the skills and creativity of the UK film industry."

The project is expected to cost £100m, and will provide 300 new jobs in the filmmaking industry. In the past, Leavesden has also been used to film scenes from "The Dark Knight" and "Inception," both also Warner Bros. films.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Reports: John Williams Will Compose Score for "Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

Our friends at Potterish have gotten confirmation from Warner Bros. Brazil that composer John Williams, who wrote the music for the first three Harry Potter films, will return to score the final movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" will be scored by Alexandre Desplat.

Update: While this is indeed exciting news, we still await final conformation on this information from WB. Stay close to Leaky for the latest!

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" will be in theatres November 19th, and "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" will come out on July 15th, 2011.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)