DH Two Film Split Under Consideration; Filming to Start Next February

The Daily Telegraph has a new interview with Harry Potter producers David Heyman and David Barron, in which the two discuss the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Concerning the rumors that the final book will be split into two films, the Davids confirm the possibility, but state that the idea is still under consideration and not near final.

"We are still discussing it. The announcement will be made hopefully in the not-too-distant future, with regards to the way seven shapes up," said Barron. "The only negative of splitting the book into two films, says Barron, "is that people could possibly perceive it as being one last chance at cashing in. But the real positive, if we were to do that, would be that we wouldn't have quite the battle we always have of 'How do you compress all that book into just over two hours of screen time?' It would be brilliant not to have to cut anything. But at the same time, we have to think it through properly. We'd have to be very certain that there were two proper, stand-alone films that could be generated from the source material."

As for who will be directing the film (or two films):

"There are an awful lot of directors, luckily for us, who are very keen on finishing the franchise off," says Barron.

"A couple of people have expressed interest, people have gotten a few calls and a few emails, but it's still a year away," Heyman says. "We won't start filming 'til February next year. So it hasn't really gone bananas yet. We've got thoughts, and I'm sure something will be announced in the not-too-distant future."