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David Heyman, the producer of all eight Harry Potter films, is set to produce an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved story The Secret Garden. According to Deadline, Heyman is teaming up with StudioCanal on the production, while the screenplay will be penned by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne.

The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary Lennox, an orphaned 10-year-old sent to live with her uncle after her parents die in India. When Mary begins to explore the grounds of her new home estate she befriends a robin and hears of a hidden garden. With the help of her new friend she discovers a secret garden filled with magic.

Deadline writes:

“This family-friendly fantastical fare is right in the wheelhouse of Heyman, already one of the world’s most successful film producers, having steered the global phenomenon of the Harry Potter series, successfully launched another family franchise in Paddington with StudioCanal and, of course, the multiple-Oscar-winning Gravity.”

Heyman is also the producer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them which is currently in post production and will be released on November 16th by Warner Bros. Thorne is currently working on an adaption of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. 

The Secret Garden was first published in its entirety in 1911 (it started in serial format in 1910). It has been adapted to film a number of times; the first filmed version was released as early as 1919 by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, an American motion picture production/distribution company. Unfortunately the 1919 adaptation is reportedly lost. In 1949 MGM released an adaption of the novel with Margaret O’Brien as Mary. In 1993 an adaptation directed by Agnieszka Holland was released by American Zoetrope. In addition to feature film adaptations, the novel has been adapted for example to television and for stage.

We recently reported on Total Film including Fantastic Beasts as part of the 10 coolest movies coming your way, and after the magazine’s release on Friday, we can finally see the updates they had in store for us!

An interview with David Heyman (Producer) discusses working on Fantastic Beasts, and how J.K. Rowling provided a grounding to keep the films up to standards. 

By writing the scripts and supervising on set, Jo has had a lot more involvement than the Potter films (for which she was also a Producer), setting the tone perfectly:

“Fantastic Beasts is very much in the spirit of the Potter books but it’s not filled with young children and their issues. I wouldn’t say it’s ‘dark’ but, as with all of Jo [Rowling]’s work, it’s not soft. There is material in all of the books that has a truth about life. Here, there’s darkness within. But there are also these creatures, and an awful lot of humour and heart – which I think will appeal to young and old alike.”

“Jo was on set and has been an incredible support to us. We’d run concepts by her, she’d give her thoughts and we’d adjust accordingly. She certainly was aware of all the lead casting choices before we finalised them.” 

On Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander:

“Newt is someone who communicates better with his creatures than he does with people. He’s a Brit who finds himself in the US, and the [A]merican magical universe is different [from] the British one. Eddie was our first choice. He is very good at playing characters that are out of step, as it were, and bringing to them a real heart and compassion. He has a desire to bring truth to every moment. He’s very charming and appealing to men and women alike. And he’s a timeless actor, so he fits perfectly into 1920s New York.”

Heymen discusses the ‘beasts’ in the film, and the use of CGI rather than animatronics as used in the Potter films and seen at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. He assures us, however, that this will not impact the final result!:

“We’ve done a lot of research on movement and look because we wanted to make our creatures grounded. They should seem like they really could exist, so they’re not just pure fantasy.”

Thanks to Mugglenet and Wizards And What Not for the heads up!

David Heyman, who will be receiving the Producers Guild Awards’ David O. Selznick Achievement Award later this month, sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Two of the biggest movie projects Heyman has produced is the Harry Potter series and the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, that will be an extension of the Harry Potter world. The Hollywood Reporter had the honor of interview David Heyman about his achievements, and talk a little (oh, but only a little) of Fantastic Beasts. THR reported:

Why did you decide to return to the world of Harry Potter?

It was exciting to move on and to embrace new challenges with Gravity and Paddington, but when it finished, there was a not-insignificant sadness because [the Potter films] had been such a big part of my life. Jo Rowling created such an incredibly rich and deeply conceived world. What you read in the books is in some ways just the surface of this world. I’d ask her about the [character Sirius Black’s] family tree because we had to paint it on the wall [for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix], and the book only had two names, and half an hour later I’d receive a family tree going back six generations with 100 people. I’m sure Newt Scamander and his story have been in her mind for many years. We were sitting around wondering what else we could do in this world, and [producer] Lionel Wigram, who is the person I first brought the first [Potter] book to, thought about maybe doing a documentary about Newt. That idea was floated to Jo, and she responded to doing a film about [that character].

Is Beasts designed as a franchise?

We’ve talked about making a couple, but with all these things — and this may be a failing of mine — I don’t look at them as franchises; I look at them as films. We want to make each film as good as we can because if you don’t, you won’t have a second film or a third.

What’s the biggest difference between Fantastic Beasts and the Harry Potter films?

Not having to work children’s hours. (Laughs.) And it’s set in 1920s New York as opposed to the U.K. in the ’90s.

Heyman went onto discuss the importance of being a “voracioius reader,” projects he has in development that he hopes to continue, the biggest challenge producers currently face in the film industry and more. The full article can be read here.

Empire have just released a brand new promo photo of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in New York (below), from the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!

The February issue of Empire Magazine will feature this promo photo, and Producer David Heyman will be releasing more information about the film in the next issue of the magazine, released December 31st. From the photo, Newt Scamander seems very immersed in the hustle-and-bustle of the muggle (or No-Maj) New York life, and Heyman has said of the film so far:

“On some days we’ve had several hundred extras, all done up in 1920s costumes. We are going into the magical world, but we’re bringing the magical characters into the Muggle, or ‘Nomaj’, world.’

Watch the teaser trailer for Fantastic Beasts below!

Harry Potter producer David Heyman is teaming up with NBCUniversal International Studios to create a Television company that will be dedicated to bringing viewers “premium long-form scripted content.” Heyman is most well known for being a very successful movie producer. Outside of producing a limited TV series called The Worricker Trilogy, this is Heyman’s first major involvement with television.

This does not mean Heyman is done with films. Not in the slightest. With now less than a year to go for the release of the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, Heyman has just added a lot more work to his load. But he will enjoy it!

Deadline was first to report this story, exclusively, and said:

The new company, which will be a stand-alone from Heyman’s film banner Heyday Films, will have office in London and Los Angeles. Heyman is currently staffing up the operations. The deal, which will give Heyman access to NBCUni’s global distribution platform, is designed to provide flexibility for the feted producer. Although its slate is still in the formative stages, Heyday Television will have two blind series commitments from NBC. The new company will also have the freedom to sell its shows to other networks, as well as cable and premium channels like HBO and the likes of Netflix and Amazon.

“The great appeal of this deal for us is working with David Heyman,” NBCUni Intl Studios president Michael Edelstein told Deadline. “He’s as talented a producer as there is, with a broad range of tastes and material defined by high quality. We look forward to helping David bring his passion and creativity to global television audiences for years to come.”

“It’s a very exciting time for TV. I got into films because of European films in the ’60s and American films in the ’70s,” Heyman tells Deadline. “Increasingly, that is no longer the domain of film. Those films are being made in television and that really excites me. To make intelligent, mainstream entertainment and to do it in the UK and the U.S., that really is the primary driver for me. I love TV.”

“To tell a story over an extended period of time, even with Potter it was over 18 hours, gives me great pleasure,” said Heyman. “If you look at my tastes in film, they are all fairly different but what I am drawn to is characters, for all their magic and fantasy. It’s really about people with whom the audience can engage. All the special effects do not have currency without people and characters with whom you can engage. I hope to bring that to television.”

To read more of this amazing new project–we are excited to see what is coming!–read the original article here.

The Hollywood Reporter was present on Monday when Warner Bros. hosted a luncheon to celebrate the Harry Potter franchise at Club 21 in New York City. In attendance at the luncheon were Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, director David Yates and producer David Heyman.

Video of Yates and Heyman making remarks about the Harry Potter series during the luncheon can be seen below:



THR also spoke to Radcliffe prior to the luncheon where he talked about his feelings now that Potter is behind him and the adjustment to life in the public eye. Audio of the interview along with a full transcript is available here.

What are your feelings now that it has all wound down?
Daniel Radcliffe: Well, you know, I think my feelings are that the series is, kind of, its own commemoration -- I mean, to me at least. I won't be able to look at any of these films without remembering what they did for the British film industry at a time when it wasn't doing great -- it's now flourishing, but in the early half of the decade, you know, there was nothing happening, and films were closing, and Potter was the only, kind of, sure-thing happening in England. And, you know, my memories of it are incredibly nostalgic, and romantic, and, I think, how everybody views their teenage years, you know: with complete idealism, having forgotten that there was ever any, you know, hormonal rage or any of that kind of stuff. You know, I had a moment the other day of actually really missing it for the first time since, of going, "God, I miss those people!" But, yeah, I mean, it's been over a year now, and I've been having this amazing year here, so it's been a great first year away -- may they all be this good!

In an exclusive interview with the Toronto Sun, Harry Potter producer David Heyman acknowledged that Universal Studios is planning an expansion to the popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, though did not elaborate on any details.

Heyman confirmed with Sun Media that details are being planned, including new Potter-themed thrill rides. Heyman himself has been thrilled with the response. "This is the first time we've been here with this crowd," he said of "real fans" of the Harry Potter universe. "You realize it does live on and it lives on in so many ways."

Leaky's interviews with cast members and filmmakers from the Harry Potter film series from the red carpet for WB's Harry Potter Home Entertainment Celebration are now online and can be viewed via this link, or below:

PART ONE: Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan), Nick Moran (Scabior), George Harris (Kingsley), David Bradley (Filtch), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Executive Producer David Baron.



PART TWO: Director David Yates, Executive Producer David Heyman, Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor Krum), James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood)



In these interviews, we get to hear from a number of the cast members about their impressions of the Wizarding World and of how they are feeling now that one of the last big milestones in the Harry Potter films series, the final film's DVD release, is upon them.  We also speak with a few of the filmmakers, who discuss how they feel wrapping up the last eleven years of their lives and dish a little on what we might be able to see on a future Ultimate 8 Film Boxed Set.

The "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" DVD/Blu-ray is available in stores and online in the States now.

Enjoy!

Users of the website Harry Potter: The Quest recently unlocked a new video called "The Love Life of Ron Weasley." The video includes interviews with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermione Grange), David Yates (director) and David Heyman (producer) along with some previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage of the Ron and Hermione kiss. Watch it here or check it out below:

A slew of interviews with actors and producers from the Harry Potter films are now online in conjunction with the recent DVD release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  In the first of three articles from the Toronto Sun, Potter producer David Heyman comments on why the Half-Blood Prince DVD was produced with more special features than previous film released.  In part, he says:
<>"I have v... Read the rest of this post

Harry Potter producer David Heyman has given a new video interview where he comments on the two scripts and breaking point for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Talking to Collider.com who let us know of their interview which you can see here, David Heyman noted he had just been in London discussing the scripts for DH part one and part two with director David Yates and screenwr... Read the rest of this post

As we told you previously, there were to be new preview footage and cast interviews broadcast this weekend on ABC Family. We now have the first new clips available here in our video galleries.
In the footage we see short new interviews with actors Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, as well as director David Yates and producer David Heyman. Most of the footage we have seen before, howe... Read the rest of this post