One (Harry Potter) Book, Two (Mega) Movies

The sensational boy-wizard Harry Potter - portrayed on the big screen by the equally popular British actor Daniel Radcliffe - seems to like all the attention he's been getting in the Muggle world. Therefore, he has decided to prolong his stay with the non-magical community, and travel with us into the next decade. Reason? Warner Bros. Pictures and the producers behind the Harry Potter movie saga - which is at present one of the most profitable movie franchises in the world - have decided to spin the fast-paced "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" into not one, but two separate movies. And while the die-hard Harry Potter fans are likely to celebrate the news that their favorite heroes will be around for three more years, there are some who look on this decision with a critical eye.

While the written Harry Potter cycle finally found closure in the summer of 2007, the Potter movies are still in full swing. Five of the planned seven (now eight) visual installments of the ground-breaking story have already been released to wide public acclaim, and the rest will come as follows: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will be out this year at the end of November, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" will hit theaters in November 2010, followed by "Part II" in May 2011. The main reason invoked by the producers was that the last book in the saga was so packed with action, that it couldn't possibly be done justice in just one movie.

"I think it's the only way you can do it, without cutting out a huge portion of the book", stated Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry. "There have been compartmentalized subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut - although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans - but the seventh book doesn't really have any subplots. It's one driving, pounding story from the word go", the young star added. Others, however, have questioned the motivation behind the decision to split the final plot into two cinema installments, claiming that it is simply a pretext to make more money and milk the already hugely successful franchise for all it's worth.