— by CAM SMITH —
With the magnificent “Half-Blood Prince” officially spent theatrically, and hitting DVD in a couple weeks, it’s time, once to again, to look to the future, little Potter-philes.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Parts 1 and 2 are among the more exciting cinematic prospects on the not-quite-near horizon. If director David Yates can stick the landing — and his exponential jump in storytelling ability between “The Order of the Phoenix” and “Half-Blood Prince” certainly tilts the odds considerably in his favour — the series will proudly go down as one of the most dependably brilliant and artistically rich franchises in motion picture history. Eegads, ‘arry!
Thanks to some intrepid spies at Snitchsneaker.com, we now have our grubby hands on a first look at one the seventh film’s new characters: Xenophilius Lovegood, father the of lovably loony Luna (above right).
Embodied by eccentric British thespian Rhys Ifans — currently on-screen in “Pirate Radio” — Lovegood is the editor-in-chief of the conspiracy rag “The Quibbler”, and friend of the Weasley family, who plays a crucial role in the trajectory of Harry and crew’s fateful journey. What that exact role is obviously won’t be a surprise to the die-hards but I’m going to leave the details vague for those who haven’t yet cracked the pages of J.K. Rowling’s gazillion-selling book series.
Judging from the pics, Ifans looks the part. However, the real fun will have to wait until late next year — when the first half of “Hallows” is released — when we can actually get to see him in action. A significant part of the pleasure in viewing each consecutive entry is watching how the various gifted guest-actors run wild with their meaty parts.
Can Ifans meet the sky-high standards set by the likes of Kenneth Branagh (Professor Gilderoy Lockhart), Jim Broadbent (Professor Horace Slughorn) and Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge)? Boy, oh boy, I can’t wait to find out!
Additionally, as an added bonus, there are also a few candids of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint hanging out on set. Nothing revealing, but it’s cool to see them still cracking smiles after toiling relentlessly in the “Potter” salt-mines for almost a decade.
Head to Snitchsneaker.com for more pictures.
Follow Cam Smith on Twitter at http://twitter.com/camspcepisodes.
I’m so stoked for this!
I cant wait!!!
Can’t wait!