Despite talk to the contrary some months back, Warner Bros. has confirmed today that all three main actors will reprise their roles for the final two Harry Potter films. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have all now officially signed on, which means that all seven Potter pictures will feature the actors as, respectively, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the can and being readied for release this summer, that only leaves the final two books in the ever-popular J.K. Rowling series to be adapted: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the not-yet-released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Radcliffe recently announced that he would be back for the final two installments, but Watson and Grint's involvement was less certain.
"When Daniel, Rupert, and Emma were first cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, we knew they were not only talented, but had a very special chemistry," says Warner's Jeff Robinov. "Through the years, and in each of the Harry Potter films, we have watched them grow into extraordinary young adults, as well as remarkable actors. It would be inconceivable to imagine anyone else in the roles with which they have become so identified, so we are thrilled and proud that Daniel, Rupert, and Emma have chosen to complete the arc of their characters in the final two films."
Inevitably, perhaps, after five consecutive films, speculation had been increasing that the actors were growing tired of the roles and/or would not return to the series for other reasons. Radcliffe in particular caused a bit of a stir for his recent turn in the stage play Equus, in which the actor appears nude. In the end, however, all that gossip turned out to be just that. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on July 13, 2007.
With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the can and being readied for release this summer, that only leaves the final two books in the ever-popular J.K. Rowling series to be adapted: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the not-yet-released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Radcliffe recently announced that he would be back for the final two installments, but Watson and Grint's involvement was less certain.
"When Daniel, Rupert, and Emma were first cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, we knew they were not only talented, but had a very special chemistry," says Warner's Jeff Robinov. "Through the years, and in each of the Harry Potter films, we have watched them grow into extraordinary young adults, as well as remarkable actors. It would be inconceivable to imagine anyone else in the roles with which they have become so identified, so we are thrilled and proud that Daniel, Rupert, and Emma have chosen to complete the arc of their characters in the final two films."
Inevitably, perhaps, after five consecutive films, speculation had been increasing that the actors were growing tired of the roles and/or would not return to the series for other reasons. Radcliffe in particular caused a bit of a stir for his recent turn in the stage play Equus, in which the actor appears nude. In the end, however, all that gossip turned out to be just that. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on July 13, 2007.
