Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the seventh and final Potter novel - sold more than 11 million copies in just 24 housr when it debuted in July 2007, making it the fastest-selling book in history. The book has been split into two films - Warner Bros. will release Part 1 on Nov. 19. Part 2 will arrive next summer, on July 15. As Part 1 begins, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) have left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and are on the run from Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and the Death Eaters. The trio needs to find and destroy the remaining horcruxes as well as battle dark forces and their own doubts and demons to do it.
Many Potter fans were angry that the final book would be halved for the screen - suspicious that the studio was just being greedy. Despite the filmmakers' insistence that the choice to split the films was made for creative reasons - to be as faithful to the books as possible - some skeptical fans still believe the decision was made for purely commercial reasons. "The key word there is purely," says Warner Bros. Entertainment president Alan Horn. "I don't want to be disingenuous or dishonest about this. There's no question that Warner Bros. will make more money with two films than they would have with one. But we also never, ever would have done this if Jo [Rowling] had not endorsed it, and if we didn't feel that we were providing a better finale, with a more full sense of closure. We just respect and love the books too much for that."
The six Potter movies have earned more than $5.4 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing global franchise in film history. More important to fans, though, the movies to date have maintained a consistent quality despite having four different directors. And even more miraculous, the central cast has remained almost entirely intact. And although they've come of age in the fishbowl of fame, all three young stars have emerged from their decade at Hogwarts unscathed by scandal or adolescent self-destruction. "I'm ready to kind of move on now, I think," Grint says. "This film is a great way to finish the whole era, and it's going to be sad, because obviously all my friends are here, but 10 years is enough."
Radcliffe, meanwhile, seems to be in a rug-of-war with himself about finishing his run as Harry Potter. "This film has been hard to make, and I've had some of the most trying moments, both physically and mentally, than ever before," he says during a break. "I wasn't entirely thrilled with my performance in Half-Blood - I found it quite same-y, and didn't think there was enough variation in it - so I've worked hard to make sure that if the seventh film comes out and I'm still unhappy with it, I'll know it won't be from lack of trying." He pauses. "We've got a long way to go, but to be honest, I don't mind. I love being here. There is no place else I'd rather be."
The three Potter stars have always been unfailingly polite to visitors over the years, and they've never seemed anything less than grateful for the extraordinary experiences they've been given. As production on the two films wound down this summer, the three stars faced the prospect of having to film their final scene together. "It was bizarre," Watson says. "Walking onto set that day, there was this incredibly thick atmosphere. It felt like a moment in history. It felt really big."
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