The Harry Potter film franchise came to an end this summer with director David Yates’ brilliant concluding chapter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.  As an avid fan of the books, I thought the film hit all the right notes and Yates captured our farewell to these beloved characters with nuanced grace.  I’m currently in Orlando, Florida at Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the Blu-ray/DVD release of the franchise’s final installment, and got the chance to sit down with Yates for an extended conversation.

The director talked about what he’s been doing since the last film hit theaters, his impressions of Universal’s Harry Potter theme park, his reaction to Warner Bros.’ decision to pull all Harry Potter DVDs from the shelves after the end of this year, his opinion on post-converting past Harry Potter films to 3D for their eventual theatrical re-release, and he also revealed why he decided not to take on the feature film adaptation of Steven King’s The Stand, and gave an update on his Al Capone biopic. Hit the jump for more.

While Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 brought the most successful film franchise in history to an end this summer, it appears that the two most influential creatives involved will be reuniting once more. Screenwriter Steve Kloves (who wrote every Harry Potter film except Order of the Phoenix) and director David Yates (who helmed the final four Potter films) are apparently teaming up to tackle a multi-film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel The Stand. Hit the jump for the details.

I’m letting everyone know right out of the gate that I’m cheating a little on this week’s “Top 5.” As you may know by now, every week I do my best to condense all of our weekly coverage into what the editorial staff deems our “Top 5″ stories. This week, I find that we have a plethora of coverage for various titles. As a result, after the jump you’ll find that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, John Carter, and Final Destination 5 all have multiple links. Also included in this week’s installment is The Dark Knight Rises teaser poster and Matt’s take on Netflix’s announced price increase. Hit the jump for brief recaps and links to each.

The most successful franchise in film history comes to an end with tonight’s midnight opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Director David Yates has been at the helm of the last three (or four, if you count Deathly Hallows as two films) Harry Potter entries, and he’s done a remarkable job bringing the series to a close. Now that the director is out of Potter books to adapt, everyone wants to know what he’ll be doing next. Given his great success with the franchise, he’s pretty much got his pick of the litter.

When Steve recently sat down with Yates, the director stated his intention to make a really small film next year before diving back into big-budget studio fare. What might that big-budget studio fare be? Well reports have surfaced suggesting he’s eyeing an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand as well as an Al Capone origin story called Cicero to possibly star Tom Hardy, in addition to a number of other projects on the director’s radar. Hit the jump for the details.

Splitting J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was a risky proposition from a narrative standpoint.  Financially, it was an unsurprising move, but if you have one movie that’s all slow, methodical character development and the second movie that’s all fast-paced action, then each movie could be monotonous because they’ve lost the other half of their story.  Both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows managed to avoid that problem.  The first part, while mostly centered on wandering and quiet moments, still managed to work in humor and thrilling set pieces.  By contrast, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is an almost non-stop epic battle that still finds time for the character development and deeply moving moments the series became known for.  It is the grandest of all of the Harry Potter films in scope, in action, and in heartbreak.

For the majority of the Harry Potter series, Severus Snape is simply a bully.  There are brief hints as to why he particularly hates Harry, but nothing so revelatory as to change your perception of the character until the final book in the series.  While Alan Rickman has always played the role with great relish, the final movie finally provides him with a new side to play for Snape and he does it brilliantly.  Rickman and director David Yates basically have five minutes to make you reevaluate your opinion of Snape and they pull it off.  There’s a lot to love about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, and Alan Rickman’s performance is near the top of the list.

Warner Bros. has release a new featurette about Snape and it shows plenty of footage that’s not in the trailer.  Watch at your own caution.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D this Friday.  Look for my full review tomorrow.

With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 getting released next weekend, Warner Bros. held a big press junket today in New York City and for the most of the day, I’ve been interviewing the cast and filmmakers.  So if you’re looking forward to the final installment, every day this week I’ll be posting a new interview and I’m starting our coverage off with director David Yates.

Even though Yates might have been an unlikely choice when he was hired to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I think we can all agree that he turned out to be a brilliant decision and someone that has made some of the best films in the series.  And if you were nervous that the final installment might disappoint, I’m happy to report that the final Harry Potter movie is everything I’d hoped it would be and you’re all going to love it.

During the interview, Yates talked about how did he manage making four huge movies back to back, has JK Rowling ever told him any secrets that haven’t yet been revealed, deleted scenes, what props did he take home, all the offers he’s getting now that Potter has wrapped, what is he doing next, and so much more.  Hit the jump to watch.

I’m standing in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. I see Snape positioned where Dumbledore used to stand at the top of the steps. As the new Headmaster, Snape is addressing a room full of students. He’s telling them that anyone who knows the whereabouts of Harry Potter – whether it be student or faculty – needs to come forward with any information or the punishment will be severe. Snape continues with the news that the school has the best magic protection and Harry Potter will not be able to enter the grounds. The former potions teacher walks among the students, looking at them, his gaze intense and his dialogue slow and methodical. He’s clearly hoping someone will tell him something. As he finishes saying his last line he looks up because he hears the voice of Harry Potter saying, “I don’t think the protection was good enough.” All the students turn, looking shocked. Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts.

The next day, I’m on a plane, flying back from London. Yesterday was March 23, 2010 and I was standing in a place I’ve only seen in the movies, as I was one of the lucky online journalists invited to Leavesden Studios outside London to visit the set of the last Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. As a huge fan of the books and the movies, getting to stand in the Great Hall and Dumbledore’s office was a huge thrill and something I will remember forever. But while getting to see those sets was amazing, we did so much more. Hit the jump for my report and video blog.

Now that Michael Bay has wrapped his trilogy of Transformers films, it looks like he’s ready to move on to other exploding pastures. Since Paramount and Hasbro want to keep the fire burning on one of their biggest moneymakers, two major decisions lay ahead: when to release the next movie and who should direct it. Bay has been able to crank out Transformers film every two years since 2007, but his infrastructure, crew, and designs have remained in place as opposed to a new director who will, to some extent, have to start from scratch so as not to simply imitate Bay. Transformers 4 could come as early as summer 2013, but I would bet a summer 2014 date is more likely.

But who will direct it? Who can fill Bay’s expensive, nonsensical shoes? It needs to be someone who can manage a big budget and even bigger special effects. It’s not enough to make stuff blow up. You need to understand how to do it properly. After the jump you can check out my suggestions for six directors who could handle Optimus Prime and Friends.

The end is nigh, as the Harry Potter franchise comes to an end in just two weeks with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Warner Bros. has released the full gallery of images from the film. While we’ve seen a few of these before, some are brand new. And for fans who read the book, a couple of these images are fairly heartbreaking.

Hit the jump to see the images. Directed by David Yates and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, and Tom Felton, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D theaters on July 15.

Two new featurettes for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 have been released.  One featurette takes a look at the goblins and the heist at Gringotts bank while the other examines the hunt to find the final horcruxes (if you don’t know what a horcrux is, then why do you even care about this movie?).  Be warned: watching these featurettes may cause you physical pain as you realize the film doesn’t come out for another two weeks.

Hit the jump to check out the featurettes.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D on July 15th.

Warner Brothers has attempted to create ultimate editions for the films in the Harry Potter franchise to tie into the final title in the series – which opens this summer. The problem is that this made more sense for the early films, as those DVDs and those supplements were nearly a decade old – new transfers and new insight could be had. With the Ultimate editions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince both were done after the inception of Blu-ray, and already had fairly elaborate special editions. These ultimate editions are for fans and completists. Daniel Radcliffe, Michale Gambon, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, and Emma Watson all return in the series fifth and sixth installments. My review of the Ultimate edition Blu-rays of Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince follow after the jump.

Maleficent, the Disney project that retells the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale through the eyes of the wicked fairy godmother, is still in the early stages of development.  Early enough that Tim Burton was at most loosely attached to direct, contractually free to move on if he so chooses — and so he has.  Heat Vision does not specify why Burton left the project, but the split sounds amicable enough.  His Alice in Wonderland collaborator Linda Woolverton is on still on board to write the script, and Burton is still working with Disney on turning his Frankenweenie short into a stop-motion feature.

The studio is developing Maleficent as a starring vehicle for Angelina Jolie, though Disney would be wise to beware the precedent of abandonment set by Mr. Burton.  Feelers are out to replacement directors; Heat Vision mentions David Yates, the man behind the final four chapters in the Harry Potter saga, as an early contender.  More on the project after the jump:

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.  There’s really only one word to sum up this trailer, however cliched its use might be: epic. It begins with a warped version of the Harry Potter theme that we’ve all come to know and love, generating some fantastic tension for what’s ahead. Fans of the book will not be disappointed and may let out a shriek or two at some of the memorable moments glimpsed in the trailer. I’m loving the operatic feel that Part 2 looks to embody, and can’t wait to see how David Yates and Co. wrap up the most successful franchise in film history this summer.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Ralph Fiennes.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D on July 15th.

There are certain benefits to turning a novel into two films. A chance to spend more time with the characters, a chance to let things breathe. The problem with splitting a book into two is that – at least in the case of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – you feel like you’re watching half a thing. And though it was decided before filming commenced, the journey of Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasly (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson) doesn’t conclude so much as stop. Not since Kill Bill has a film felt so lopsided, though Tarantino’s film at least felt like a reasonable break. Our review of the Blu-ray of David Yates’s latest Potter film, The Deathly Hallows Part 1, follows after the jump.