This series, part of our Forever Young Family & Children’s Series, celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter book series.
By the time HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX hit movie theaters the film franchise was as popular as the book series. Somehow, director David Yates had not yet been bitten by the Potter bug, and when he was asked to direct the newest film, he had little time to catch up with the rest of the world.
Yates spoke to The Guardian about his unlikely directorial role in the series, “Many nights I’ve been lying awake thinking, ‘Of all the films in all the world, why am I doing this? How did that happen? [… I] hadn’t read a word [of the books]. It wasn’t part of my world. I was walking in Cornwall when I got a call. They sent me a script and I read 20 pages and thought, ‘This isn’t going to work. This isn’t me.’ So I went back and read all the novels and then I was hooked. I spent the next year working on the script.”
Through his writing and research Yates fell in love with the series and was especially struck by the growth of Harry and the introduction of a new character, ”[In ORDER OF THE PHEONIX] Harry’s struggling with who he is and the powers he has. Also, I was captivated by Dolores Umbridge, who is a mean, but apparently sweet, magic teacher [played by Imelda Staunton with gale-force gusto], who is sent to spy on Dumbledore. She’s a sadist and a bully. There are kids in the audience who have had horrible experiences with teachers or other adults. So they’ll feel connected to the story.”
He goes on, “This is really a story about growing up into an adult world riven between good and evil […] I’m known for intensity and emotion, and I think I’ve given them that. It’s a bit edgier and rawer than the others, arguably.”
