Warner Bros. Boss Wants More “Harry Potter”

With two movie releases yet to go, it might be too soon for sorrow. But Warner Bros. chief Alan Horn is already having separation anxiety with the  "Harry Potter" franchise.

Weeks after shooting the final scene in the series. Warner Bros. president and COO waxed about the success of the franchise and joked about ways he plans to keep it going even after author J.K. Rowling has finished off the book series.

"Of course, it wouldn't be surprising that we would want to keep going," Horn said Friday. "I said to Jo Rowling, 'why don't you write some more?' "

"I even had a title: 'Harry Potter and the Golden Years.' "

Rowling declined, he said with a sad smile.

Horn made the remarks at the "Power Lawyers, Power Breakfast" event sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter.

Can you blame Horn? With the final two films in the can the series is already the largest grossing movie franchise in movie history. This is before one ticket has been sold to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," due out in November,

"It has surpassed all the Bond movies and the 'Star Wars' movies," said Horn. "And we're not even finished yet."

Horn even allowed himself to walk down memory lane and recalled the original casting sessions for the 2001-released "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

There were three young actors in competition to be Harry Potter before it was given to Daniel Radcliffe and four Ron Weasley wannabes (which went to Rupert Grint).

"And then there was one young girl, and only one," he recalled. That was young Emma Watson.

Horn recalls calling director Christopher Columbus and saying, "there are 60 million people in the United Kingdom and you only found one girl that could possibly be Hermione Granger?"

"And he said, 'Just watch this kid!' And we did and thought, 'Oh my God!' "

 

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