David Fincher reveals that he pitched a creepier version of theHarry Pottermovies. Chris Columbus was ultimately chosen to direct the adaptation of the firstHarry Potterbookand went on to directHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsas well. However,many well-known directors were considered to helm the movie adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, including Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Rob Reiner, Terry Gilliam, and Tim Robbins. Fincher, who had already directedSe7enandFight Clubat that point in his career, was also considered.
While speaking withVariety, Fincher explained that he was invited by Warner Bros. to pitch his creative vision forHarry Potter. He recalls how he emphasized that he did not want to"do the clean Hollywood version of it"andwanted the movie to be reminiscent of the 1987 dark comedy filmWithnail and I. Warner Bros. was not receptive to this idea and explained that they wanted the adaptation to be more traditional. Check out Fincher’s comments below:
I was asked to come in and talk to them about how I would do “Harry Potter.” I remember saying, “I just don’t want to do the clean Hollywood version of it. I want to do something that looks a lot more like ‘Withnail and I,’ and I want it to be kind of creepy.” They were like, “We want Thom Browne schooldays by way of ‘Oliver’.”
What This Means For Harry Potter
David Fincher’s Harry Potter Would Have Been Completely Different And Likely Less Successful
TheHarry Pottermovies would have been much darker and likely not as well-receivedunder Fincher’s direction. While there aredarkHarry PottermomentsinSorcerer’s Stone, especially when Professor Quirinus Quirrell reveals that Lord Voldemort is on the back of his head, it is more of a fun, charming, and feel-good introduction to the Wizarding World. The story gets darker as Harry and his friends grow older, but it is not meant to start out as overtly creepy or as darkly humorous.
Harry Potter: Every Actor To Play Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is the arch-antagonist of the Harry Potter story, but the dark wizard has been portrayed by a number of actors on the big screen.
Much of theHarry Pottermovies’ appeal and success was that they were coming-of-age stories that were family-friendly and accessible for children. This would not have been the case if Fincher’s more subversive take on the source material came to fruition. The firstHarry Pottermovie’s box officeand overall reception would probably have been far worse, with thesenegative results potentially even jeopardizing the opportunity to adapt the rest of theHarry Potterbooks.
Our Take On David Fincher’s Comments
While I can understand Fincher’s desire to adaptHarry Potterin an unconventional way, it is for the best that his pitch did not move forward, and that Columbus directedSorcerer’s Stoneinstead.The firstHarry Pottermovie would not have been as faithful to the source materialor as successful with Fincher as the director. Not being chosen to directHarry Potterwas also a better outcome for Fincher, as he is better-suited to directing darker standalone movies likeSe7en,Fight Club, andGone Girl.
Source:Variety
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
