Well! Fancy my surprise when I realised there wasn' a thread for the upcoming movie "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" here!
Anyway! straight to it! According to BBC Newsround, all the casting for the 6th Harry Potter movie has been finalised, and you can take a look at the cast here, here, everything! It's been up for quite a while according to the date, but that doesn't matter! The first link reveals whose been cast for Cormac McLaggen, Blaise Zabini, Romilda Vane etc etc, so I found that pretty exciting.
What do people think about Helen McCrory chosen to be cast as Narcissa Malfoy? I always pictured Narcissa to be played by someone like Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett or Naomi Watts (haha they’re all Australia! Gotta love them )but I don’t think I should judge her yet, I’ll decide after I’ve seen the movie, which comes out later this year (I think)

I have a similar site to show, the internet movie database page on HBP, with all the cast and trivia and stuff. imdb.com/title/tt0417741/

I'm wondering if they're going to include the opening scene from the book with the Muggle P.M. Personally, I think that Hugh Laurie would be perfect, but I wouldn't be surprised if they cut it for time.

I find it interesting that Helen McCrory was cast as Narcissa as she was the one originally cast as Bellatrix in OotP. I can't recall why she had to drop out (pregnancy? or am I making up things?), but clearly they think she has it in her to play a Black!

Yeah Tara, you're right, she had to pull out because she was pregnant, it's on the IMDB site. I really dont know what if anything they can leave out, or how they're going to introduce the mirror Sirius gave Harry in book 5, since it's important in DH. Should be interesting though.

I heard they weren't going to have the Muggle PM's scene in the latest movie, and that Ralph Fiennes, Emma Thompson, and Jason Isaacs isn't going to be in the upcoming movie either! Apparently memories of Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's Cup aren't going to be included either!! This is catastrophic! I was really looking forward to seeing how the directors made the scenes come alive on screen

Oh God, seriously?! Lamest thing I've heard in a while, as I too, was looking forward to seeing specific scenes like that on screen. I can't wait to see how they portray other scenes. I usually come out of the movies spouting off about how certain people or things were left out, things that didn't really need to be cut for time and such, so I hope this one will impress me more than the last couple of films.

Solitaire wrote:

I'm wondering if they're going to include the opening scene from the book with the Muggle P.M. Personally, I think that Hugh Laurie would be perfect, but I wouldn't be surprised if they cut it for time.

Oh yes I agree Hugh Laurie would be great for that part. I love that scene too and it is really quite important as it reveals how the sitiuation has changed so drasticaly since the end of OOP, now that Voldermort is operating more openly. Unfortunately though I think it may well be cut. I think the film will start with the Narcissa and Bellatrix approaching Spinners End which should be very atmospheric and dramatic.

I am a bit concerned about the fact that according to the imdb casting list the Gaunt family have not been cast. Those memories are pretty crucial in my opinion. It also looks asthough we won't be seeing Bill and Fleur which is a shame and if they keep the wedding in film 7 it will seem a bit out of the blue.

Jason Isaacs is also definately not going to be in it. (I read that on mugglenet .) I guess that's fair enough though as he is in Azkaban through this book.

Completely agreed! They are crucial! It's just like the whole Mundungus thing bugged me, seeing as he was left out of the latest film. I don't see how he's going to be introduced properly for the seventh film.

I have a bad feeling about the up and coming film/s! It seems to me that they are leaving important stuff out so that the eventual solution will be vague and weird like in Goblet of Fire. If they leave out Bill and Fleur what will happen with the wedding etc.? Charlie has been mentioned in the films but I don't think Bill ever has!

The HP movies really bother me because of things like this. Whether they know it or not, they are leaving out important plot lines. I can't imgaine how DH will be, with not seeing Dobby in the past three movies (even though he does have somewhat important roles in the books), not a mention of the mirror, Mundungus, Bill, etc.
As for HBP, I wonder what they'll do with that. Apparently Fleur has not been cast; I know she wasn't quite relevant in the 6th book, but I think it is a bit of turning point for her at the end- all you really see in GoF is her snobbiness (well, besides when Harry rescued her sis) but all the same she is portrayed as fairly conceited. Ah, well. I cannot believe that they are leaving out the scene with the prime mininster. I feel that is also very important. It is quite fustrating to me that they are leaving important scenes out. However, I absolutely cannot wait to see the whole Lavender/Ron thing, I think it will be hilarious . I do hope they keep the 'My Sweetheart' necklace bit *giggles*

Oh and carcrashkid, I do that too. When I watch the movies, I'll mutter angrily under my breath saying things like: 'that wasn't in the book' or 'what! why in the world did they do that?' 'what happened to (insert scene from book)?'
Haha I have quite a bit of complaints and critism for the HP movies

You guys have to remember that from a filmmakers POV some scenes just aren't going to translate well on film. If they KNOW a scene isn't going to live up to what they can create onscreen, it's better they don't put it in.

You also have to remember that JKR has say over everything that goes in and gets taken out. Take Kreacher in OotP, for example: he wouldn't have appeared in the film without her sayso. Each CGI character costs filmmakers more money and if the story can move along without them, why put them in?

As far as adding things in, again, they're out to make an exciting movie. If they feel that adding an extended broom chase with Harry and a dragon in GoF will make for more excitement, then why not?

Those movies are seen by WAY more people than read the books. If they weren't exciting to watch as movies and only faithful translations of the books, that'd be a lot of viewership they'd lose.

Let's also remember that they're taking hundreds of pages and turning them into approximately two hours. Stuff is gonna get cut.

Sorry if I sound like I'm on a high-horse about this, but one of my biggest annoyances in life is when people can't separate book from film. Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I just wish people would look more objectively.

I haven't posted here yet- sorry! But thank you, Tara, 'cause you really did explain the filmmaking well. I miss scenes in the book when watching the movie, but I just remember that "Hey, at least someone liked it enough to put it on the big screen!" Also, imagination: has no bounds. Film makers pockets of money- you've got limits.

There are going to be some parts they have to clean up though, in HBP; such as the Two Way Mirror, which we now know plays a pretty big role. And, Tara, like you said, they're out to create an exciting film. I'm still a little disheartened that Dobby-kins hasn't made an appearence since CoS, though. But I don't think I'd be too upset if he wasn't in DH, if yo know where I'm going...

Tarafina wrote:

Let's also remember that they're taking hundreds of pages and turning them into approximately two hours. Stuff is gonna get cut.

Right, and I totally understand where you're coming from, but it seems as though there have been things in the past that have been left out that didn't really need to be cut for time, etc. Or things that have been changed around that could have stayed the same, like Dobby being the one to give Harry gillyweed for task two.

Tara, my dad explained the same things. I just find it annoying that the movies don't match the book as well as they could. Like how Neville has replaced Dobby in the movies, with finding the RoR and getting Harry the gillyweed, etc. I think I would love the HP movies had I not read the books. I actually saw the 1st movie before I read the books, and I enjoyed it heaps. After I read the books and watched it on VHS, I found myself tapping my dad on the shoulder saying: Dad, they left a part out of the book! I think there was a mistake, dad! (I was 8 and very confuzled)
All the same, I watch the movies anywho- I mean it IS amazing how they bring the magical world alive. The special effects are spectacular. I still plan to go see HBP and DH when they come out, I'm sure even if they don't follow the books they will still be pretty cool.