Thursday, February 1, 2007

Pottermania begins again

Today it was officially announced that the seventh and final volume of the Harry Potter series, entitled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be released on July 21st of this year, 8 days after the release of the 5th Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It's already up for pre-order on all the sites including amazon, and of course, is already ranked #1 on Amazon's best seller list.

I'm really curious to see where J.K. Rowling goes with this one. Everyone can live happily ever after, or she can do some serious damage with this one. Assuming that she's assuming her readers are aging at the same rate as the books, I think we may see some main characters die, and may see a not so happily ever after, but an acceptable ending to the series. But then again, Harry Potter has become such a huge phenomenon that she does have to consider that there may be some 8 year olds reading this who would have alot of questions for mom and dad if she went to far. We shall see.

I'm also extremely curious to see what she does when the Harry Potter series is over. I'd really like to see where her writing goes from here. I believe that I read somewhere that she plans on writing books geared more toward adults, but I could be totally wrong there. Whatever route she takes, I have a feeling that she's going to stray from children's and young adult fantasy. But I may be wrong. I want to see how she handles more adult themes. She can certainly write a compelling story, but how will that translate in a different genre...We'll know in a couple of years is my guess.

In related Harry Potter news, Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry is getting scoffed at by parents everywhere. Apparently, he is starring in a play in which he appears nude. The play is entitled Equus and is about a boy who is apparently obsessed with blinding horses and is aroused sexually by this. The play also focuses on therapy sessions dealing with this issue. There are publicity photos popping up all over the internet which show Dan nude from the waist up with a horse and other pics of him hugging a topless girl. Here's my spin on this: Give this guy a break. He is not actually Harry Potter, he is an actor. And for parents who are unhappy with that, don't take your child to see the play. He is entitled to choose whichever roles he likes, and is probably doing this to break his image as just "Harry". Even Harry Potter has to grow up. You can read all about it at IMDB.

5 comments:

Carl V. Anderson said...

It will be interesting to see what kind of falling out she has with whoever she kills in this last book.

I think people are getting a little too silly about the play. I think it sounds like something I would have no desire to see, but at least he's trying to branch out with his craft.

chrisa511 said...

And can you blame the kid. Being Harry Potter may be cool as a child, but to be stigmatized with that as an actor...you're definitely looking at type-cast roles there. Yeah, don't think I'll be seeing this one either. Though I think if people do go see it, a big part of it will be to see him do something "non-potter".

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to the book.

And I agree re. Daniel Radcliffe. I'm intrigued by the play, I'll admit, but even if I weren't - he can't be Harry Potter forever, and nor should he be expected to be.

If Johnny Depp can play Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, J.M. Barrie *and* the syphilitic Earl of Rochester...well...

They are actors - specific roles shouldn't define them. Gah.

Literacy-chic said...

Woah! I've read Equus--a long time ago (high school, actually! ;) ). Pretty intense stuff! But it's also the kind of part that every actor in a certain age range would kill for! Definitely not a surprise. Next maybe he'll do some Joe Orton... (Another sick Brit!)

Parents who don't look at where the movies have gone (even if they don't read the books) deserve the questions they get. :P (If she has the guts to go extreme...)

chrisa511 said...

Very true..I'm hoping she does go to the extreme. I kinda have a feeling that she may.