Harry Potter: From Film to Series with David Heyman

Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast

Producer David Heyman joins Rhianna Dhillon to discuss the evolution of the Harry Potter franchise from film to an upcoming television serie

Key takeaways

• David Heyman emphasizes that capturing the essence and spirit of the books is more vital than a literal adaptation.
• The original film directors—Columbus, Cuaron, Newell, and Yates—each brought distinct subgenres to their respective installments.

Main topics

• Legacy of the Harry Potter films
• Transition from film to television series

Notable quotes

If you capture the spirit, then it allows audience access, as opposed to just a cold retelling of a story.

Conclusion

A nostalgic yet forward-looking exploration of how a beloved literary

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:11) and a welcome to Harry Potter the official film podcast. We've had a look back at the iconic movies and now I'm so excited to begin our look forward to the first season of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, coming to HBO Max this Speaker 1 (0:26) Christmas. Speaker 3 (0:27) I'm Rhianna Dillon, lifelong Harry Potter superfan, film critic and broadcaster, and I am thrilled for today's very special episode. We're going to break down what we know so far about the new series, and we're kicking it all off with an exclusive interview with the man who's guided the Wizarding World onto our screens, both big and small, for the last 25 years, producer David Heyman. I recently sat down with David for an in-depth conversation about the legacy of the films, the ever-expanding fandom and the upcoming television series. Let's hear what he had to say. Speaker 3 (1:06) David O'Haman, welcome. Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast. Thank Speaker 1 (1:10) you. It's great to be here. Thank you for having me. It's Speaker 3 (1:12) such a pleasure to have you. Speaker 1 (1:13) And by the way, thank you for doing this for, how long have you been doing it? Speaker 3 (1:16) I mean, we've been working on this for months now. Well, Speaker 1 (1:19) thank you. And it's great. Speaker 3 (1:21) I've Speaker 1 (1:21) been Speaker 3 (1:21) with Harry since I was eight years old. So there is something incredibly special and full circle about this moment. Speaker 1 (1:27) Well I've been with it since 1997, 1996, 1997. So Speaker 3 (1:33) we've been on it about the same time. Speaker 3 (1:37) I want to take you right back to the beginning, the initial page-to-screen journey. Can you remember what your original aims were for the films? When Speaker 1 (1:47) I first read the first book, it hadn't been published. I mean, it was an unpublished manuscript, and I had no idea what it would become. I actually thought if I was lucky, it might be something small, not small, small, but I thought it'd be a smaller British film. I had no idea that it would be embraced by people the way... has been. I loved it. I just loved it. It moved me. It made me laugh. It reminded me of the books I read as a kid. You know, who wouldn't want to go to wizard school? And we've all had teachers we like and teachers we don't like and friends who we fall out with. There was so much that was relatable. in it, I suppose, has always been sort of the true north of what we've tried to do. And even from the beginning is trying to capture the spirit. There are certain things that you really have to have to honor the fans, but there are certain feelings, certain bits of humor. And it's the feeling of that that you can sometimes add a little bit here, add a little bit there and do in our own way that makes it film. friendly and now of course you know series Speaker 3 (2:56) tv friendly which is Speaker 1 (2:58) a slightly different thing well Speaker 3 (2:59) i was going to ask you about those how important was the fact that harry potter was based in the sort of in the literary the fact that it had readers first before a film audience how much did that sort of impact your job well Speaker 1 (3:11) i came to it from the books obviously i have always been a voracious reader and Speaker 2 (3:17) You know, Speaker 1 (3:18) the thing when you're making, when you're realizing something from a book, everybody has their own impression. You know, you had, when you were reading the books, you had your own vision of Harry in your mind. But the literary roots were important because that was the foundation of everything. If there weren't these books, we wouldn't be sitting here today. The richness of that world, the richness of the characters, those stories are such a gift in so many ways that... You just wanted to capture some essence of what was there and be true to it in spirit as much as, in fact, you could do a very literal adaptation that had none of the soul. And so the spirit, probably an overused word, but the spirit was the most important thing. One of my favorite moments in the films was in the seventh film when Harry and Hermione are on the run. Speaker 3 (4:15) And Speaker 1 (4:15) they're in the tent and they dance together. That's not in the book. But it feels like it. And that came from David Yates talking with Steve Clovis and wanting to capture that sense of these two young people, you know, connecting. All they have is each other at that moment. And I just love it. And it feels like it captures the feeling. of what it would have been like, Speaker 3 (4:43) but Speaker 1 (4:44) it wasn't in the books. So that's an example of what we were trying to do all the way throughout, is that balance of being literally faithful and then... true to the essence yeah Speaker 3 (4:55) i mean it is such a favorite for me as well we talk about it a lot on the podcast because it does feel like such a turning point and also a time when harry actually does something for hermione yes Speaker 1 (5:05) and Speaker 3 (5:05) is they're able to lose themselves Speaker 1 (5:07) and also you have a sense of what might have been like there isn't but no of course you know another Speaker 3 (5:12) path there was another Speaker 1 (5:14) you know a path not taken yeah Speaker 3 (5:16) but Speaker 1 (5:16) it's very intimate and it's and and um it's real friendship yeah Speaker 3 (5:21) Because you were sort of there before Harry Potter was the Harry Potter as we all know it now on screen, do you remember the sort of moment where you realised the magnitude of what it could become or was becoming? I Speaker 1 (5:34) think that we were waiting for the first screenplay. And Steve Clovis is the most incredible writer. And in some ways... There are a few people who don't, I think, get the credit that they deserve. Steve Clovis is one of them, because to adapt these books into manageable length is not easy. And he really understood, I feel, Joe's voice. But we were waiting. He wasn't as quick as we'd hoped on the Speaker 3 (6:02) first script. We Speaker 1 (6:04) were waiting. I Speaker 3 (6:05) mean, he was quick, but not as quick, because there was a Speaker 1 (6:07) real urgency from Warner Brothers, because they wanted to make it. But by the time it was... one, two, and three on the New York Times bestseller list. I think for everyone you went, ah, it's become a global thing. It's big in the States. It's big in the UK. It's big around the world. This could be something. Even when we were making the films, I never, not until we'd finished the fourth film. Did I realize that the books were big enough and that the films were successful enough that we were going to make all seven or is it eight? It Speaker 3 (6:39) took that long? Speaker 1 (6:39) It's probably my own insecurity that I thought, oh, it's never going to go there. But actually, no, it's true because you just don't know. Fortunately, we were working with people each time, Chris and Alfonso and Mike and David, who were, and everybody, all our incredible crew, were always pushing to make each film better than the last. Speaker 3 (7:02) So just thinking about all of those different directors then that you got on board, I mean, how did you decide, how did you land on each one? Who was going to helm which? Speaker 1 (7:10) The first director was Chris Columbus, and we met four or five directors. Speaker 1 (7:17) each had very distinct views. Chris had, you know, had incredible success making family films, and he was so passionate about Harry Potter, more than any of the other directors, he expressed his passion. He was an enthusiast in general, which helps. But he himself, I mean, Steve had written the first draft of the screenplay. Chris, who was a writer too, had simultaneously in... literally in 10 days done his own version he loved what steve had done but he just had some thoughts that in terms of structure or how he would approach it that he wanted to show and actually i think he what he really wanted to show is look i'm this passion that i'm going to write i don't even have the job but here's what here's how much i i love it i think he doesn't always get the credit i think i am sitting here in large part because of what chris columbus did you Speaker 3 (8:07) know Speaker 1 (8:07) he cast Everybody he hired, Stuart Craig, he helped build Hogwarts and lay the foundations on which we've been standing ever since. And just to be clear, each director was offered to carry on. So Chris was asked if he wanted to do the third. And he said, no, I think he wanted to take his family back to America. He was incredible, Chris. Not only, by the way, did he set up the foundations for Hogwarts and Stuart Craig and the casting, he also culturally... set up the filming in that Chris Columbus would fly back to San Francisco every weekend during prep. He would leave on a Friday night and he'd come back Sunday. He'd fly Sunday to be back first thing Monday because he felt it was so important that he saw his family and that he wasn't away. They then moved over, but it was during school and they couldn't, they had to finish the school year. And that sense of family was something that was very important to us. on the films and now on the on the tv show that that sense of of we're all in this together and that sense of us all of a family and positivity and making it fun uh was something that i think chris really i learned so much from him and and how he approached it third film we wanted to grow up a little bit yeah and alfonso had just made a film he'd made a couple of films that felt germane One was Little Princess, which is such a beautiful family film, visually rich and moving. And it made Y Tu Mama Tambien. Which is one Speaker 3 (9:44) of my favorite films of all Speaker 1 (9:45) time. One of mine too. You can see that when I initially brought up the idea, there was some trepidation. I do always wonder how Speaker 3 (9:54) that conversation went. Speaker 1 (9:55) Just for the viewers who haven't seen it, it definitely has a raunchy side to it. From the opening scenes. From the opening. But it is glorious. It's a Spanish language. It's a Mexican film. Not made for much money, but with real verve. And it was about the last moments of being a teenager. Harry Potter's about the first moments of being a teenager. And you felt the reality and truth behind that. And that felt important for that moment. We asked Alfonso if he wanted to do the fourth, and he said, cabrón. You know, I think he was exhausted. You know, I look at pictures of Alfonso from then. Alfonso is one of my best friends and he's my son's godfather and I love him. That's so lovely. But I look at him from then and I just look at him because he was exhausted. Chris looked like a kid. He was unbelievable. He just had this Alfonso. There was nothing left on the table. And he said no. So then we went to Mike and it just felt like that one was. It was the Quidditch World Cup. It was, you know, new schools. And you just, and Mike talked about making a Bollywood movie. What a brilliant idea. Even though obviously it's not literally a Bollywood movie, that all singing, all dancing spectacle. Speaker 3 (11:08) And Speaker 1 (11:08) he was our first British director. And we wanted to bring some Britishness into it. I mean, obviously they're very British, but there was just something that... we felt he could do and whether it be he could also do a thriller because he'd made wonderful thrillers and it's also first love rom-com you know and the pain and angst and awkwardness of that and so he felt right and then mike too was you know on his knees by the end of well he Speaker 3 (11:36) told us he broke a couple of ribs yeah no he was he Speaker 1 (11:38) was absolutely shattered and then we went to david yates and it was a big leap for david um in the sense he'd made one film and he'd made a lot of brilliant TV. The reason for him was the world was becoming more political. He handled that so brilliantly in shows like State of Play and Sex Traffic. And there was just a real energy and not social realism, but a ground reality and understand the complex relationships and the machinations, the political machinations, which were beginning to find play in the world. And, you know, one of the things I am really proud of is that Each of the films and each of the directors, they feel distinct and they feel like they bought very much. They are, you know, that's a Chris Columbus film. That's an Alfonso Cuaron film. Speaker 3 (12:29) I really love the way that you're talking about that because we talk a lot about the different subgenres that we get. And I think as a reader, you don't necessarily pick up on it in the same way. And also the fact that you might think of those subgenres as being quite grown up and adult. So it's also teaching. kids about filmic language as much as anything else. Yes, Speaker 1 (12:47) I think that's true. I think by the very nature of being