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)

Video Online of Mary GrandPre Exhibit in Iowa

Previously we told you there was an exhibit currently ongoing in Iowa featuring the art of Mary GrandPre, including pieces she created for the covers and chapter art found in the US Scholastic editions of the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. There is now new video available here in our galleries, where the curator of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art gives us a glimpse and new details on some of the featured pieces, including the original pencil sketch of the cover for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The Daily Iowan reports: "We actually did shows about all of her career and the process at the same time," said museum curator Sean Ulmer about GrandPré, whose career began in the '80s, but she hasn't exhibited for a few years because of her busy schedule.

Readers will also recall we first showed you some photos from the exhibit, which includes new pieces all available here in our image galleries.

The Harry Potter and Beyond exhibit is ongoing at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art now until February 1, 2009.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

New Poll on Brooms at Wizarding World of Harry Potter Website

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter website has been updated with a new poll. Brooms brooms brooms, which is your favorite broom is the topic at hand, and you may make your vote via this link.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park attraction is currently under construction at Universal Orlando, Florida, and at last report, is slated to open in early 2010.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Update: 'Beedle the Bard' Fastest Selling Book of 2008 in UK

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, has become the fastest selling book of 2008 in the UK, selling 367,625 copies in the first three days alone, since its release on December 4.

Congratulations J.K. Rowling on yet another amazing feat!

UPDATE: To add to this story, Beedle the Bard has knocked Stephenie Meyer's Twilight off the number 1 spot on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list.

(SOURCE: HPANA)

'Beedle the Bard' to Become a Movie?

Cinemablend has an interesting article online stating that Warner Brothers is already pursuing an opportunity to bring The Tales of Beedle the Bard to the big screen.

None of these stories (from Beedle the Bard) seems to have any connection to the other, which ought to make it difficult for Warners to fit them all into a single film. Could they be planning five movies? That would seem unwise. These are short stories after all, it’s unlikely there’s enough material in any one story to justify a feature film.

According to our sources, Warners is still trying to figure out exactly how to make this work. But there’s definitely a strong interest in making Tales of the Beedle Bard: The Movie happen, once Harry Potter is over with.

This of course has not been confirmed, but we shall update you when we recieve anymore information.

(SOURCE: HPANA)