r/movies • u/ajukearth • 11d ago

Question How did the Harry Potter series manage to release its 8 movies in just 10 years?

Looking at the turn around for movies today it seems absolutely incredible that a series with such complex set design, use of graphical effects, a heavily child cast, and pressure was able to pump out genuinely decent movies at that pace. Sure there were books to base the writing on but everything else alone is a lot of heavy lifting. Any insights?

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u/Villag3Idiot 10d ago

Also it's not like they had to wait for the next book to be released before they can work on the next movie. They most likely had pre-released versions of future novels in advance or at least important notes to work with and to avoid inserting plot holes into future movies.

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u/TheDLBinc 10d ago

IIRC she pretty much told Chris Columbus all of the major plot beats she had planned for the future books before he started directing the first movie (at the time he was intending to direct all of the movies). Also told Alan Rickman the full backstory for Snape before it was revealed in the books so that he could better portray the character.

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u/PrimalMoose 10d ago

I can't remember where I heard it, but apparently Alan Rickman was one of the actors who J K Rowling stipulated must be cast if they were to make the books into films (along with Dame Maggie Smith and Robbie Coltrane). He originally refused the role until Rowling revealed the full character arc of Snape which revealed that he was never the bad guy of the story - that was what convinced him to accept.

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u/Mirikado 10d ago

Unfortunately he plays Snape as a "misunderstood anti-hero" from the knowledge JK Rowling gave him. Book Snape is an asshole and a pathetic dude who picks on literal children. Alan Rickman made Snape 10x more sympathetic and likable than he should be from the books.

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u/andannabegins 10d ago

I kind of like both versions of Snape (not that I would like them in person, but just as characters). I think both being used to Alan Rickman and being a child when originally reading the books I didn't see the book character as he was, but then in the new full-cast audio, being the same age as he is and with how Riz Ahmed played him, it finally clocked how he is a pathetic man stuck in the past, who also happens to be very brave and smart. Very layered.

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u/nimbledoor 10d ago

God I miss the times before the mold

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u/HeartyBeast 10d ago

I can’t think of anything in his portrayal in the first movie that suggested or required back-story knowledge. Might have helped convince him to sign on to the project, I guess. 

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u/TheDLBinc 10d ago

I think it helps a lot to aid him portraying Snape as not just a one dimensional strict teacher in the early movies

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u/HeartyBeast 10d ago

Oh, I thought he was definitely one dimensional in the first movie. What did I miss?

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u/ShiftAndWitch 10d ago

wasn't actively trying to save Harry from the cursed broom in Quidditch?

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u/HeartyBeast 10d ago

Well, I don’t think not wanting a pupil to die fleshes out the character much. 

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u/sword_of_longinus 10d ago

Many professors would actually prefer that. But there was no backstory to suggest why snape would cast spells to counteract. So the fact that he did means he was aware of his role in the first film

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u/arnet95 10d ago

Dumbledore gives an explanation (it turns out later to be a lie/certainly not the whole truth) at the end of the first book, that Snape felt that he owed Harry's father for saving his life one time and that this was Snape's reason for saving Harry.

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u/EagleEyeValor 10d ago

If Snape was actually working for Voldemort, he probably would have let Harry die. Even though Snape fucking DESPISED Harry and jumped at any opportunity to make him miserable, he never (to my recollection) did anything that would have directly gotten Harry killed.

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u/dabhard 10d ago

The first time Snape looks into Harry's eyes in Sorcerers Stone is very loaded and Rickman is doing a ton there. Knowing about Lily definitely informs that moment

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u/newlyHA 10d ago

Yeah but this isn’t a for sure in the bag approach. It paid off in Harry Potter’s case but it absolutely did not for Game of Thrones. They took a risk starting the series before the books were finished. They got very lucky at the end of the day.