When re-watching the “Harry Potter” movies, it’s easy to forget just how important Chris Columbus‘s adaptation of the first two books were, and just how much the franchise changed after he left. Turns out, Columbus wanted to return for the final two films in the franchise, but didn’t when David Yates decided to take on the job himself.
Collider has the scoop, with an interview with Chris Columbus to promote his new Netflix film, “The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two.” The filmmaker also discussed his work on the wizarding franchise, and how much anticipation was on the first film. “The reality is the pressure of the world was upon us, and on me particularly because I knew if I screwed this one up it’s all over,” Columbus said. “You can’t screw up this book. So I had to go to the set every day with sort of tunnel vision in terms of not thinking about the outside world, and that was a lot easier 19 years ago before the internet blew up.”
The filmmaker confessed he didn’t feel right about the adaptation until they test screened the nearly three-hour-long rough cut of the film. “The audience just ate up the film,” Columbus added. “The film was two hours and fifty minutes long at that point and the kids thought it was too short and the parents thought it was too long.”
Of course, Columbus departed after the second film adaptation, handing the reins over to Alfonso Cuarón, who was followed by Mike Newell and David Yates. As Columbus tells it, he meant to go back to the franchise near the end.
“I always wanted to go back and shoot the final two movies, but Yates decided he was gonna stay with the series, and it was a great thing to do because I particularly love the very last movie,” Columbus explained. “I think that is just a brilliant film, the second part of ‘Deathly Hallows.'”
