Warner Bros announces plans to bring Harry Potter into 3D after all. But it’s looking backwards, not forwards…
It's been an interesting set of reactions since Warner Bros announced it was dropping 3D from its upcoming Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I, after deciding that it couldn't complete a satisfactory job in the time it had left to it. The main thrust of the reaction, however, appears to have been a very positive one, both from those for and against the idea of 3D movies.
However, Warner Bros still has 3D plans for Mr Potter. Firstly, the final Harry Potter film, Deathly Hallows Part II, is still on course for 3D. But it's also now looking towards the back catalogue of movies, and looking at what it can do with those.
It's kicked that process off by confirmed that both Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix and Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince are getting a 3D retrofit (the opening scenes of Half-Blood Prince were 3D in cinemas), so that the films can be released on 3D Blu-ray. Both of those films were, of course, directed by David Yates, who's also working on the Deathly Hallows movies.
And the likelihood is that once those are done, Warner Bros will turn its attentions to the first four films too, and possibly get the three directors of those involved. Whether that will lead up to a 3D re-release in cinemas remains to be seen, because it seems that the initial plan is to target the home entertainment market.
Variety has more on the story here.