Chris Columbus says that, at one point in time, he believed that he would be sitting in the director's chair for every film in the original Harry Potter series.
Columbus, who directed 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) and 2002's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, recently sat down for an interview with The A.V. Club. Columbus says he initially thought he would direct every Potter film, though plans changed after he underestimated just how much of a toll helming the first two would take on him.
"Yeah, because at the time I thought I would be directing all seven, not having realized how exhausting directing the first two would be -- physically, mentally, not seeing my family," Columbus shared. (Notably, the original Harry Potter book series by author J.K. Rowling consists of seven novels, though the series' final entry, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was split into two parts when it was adapted for film, bringing the total number of Potter movies up to eight.) According to Columbus, the notion that he would be directing the whole series is what informed the amount of effort he put into developing the distinct look and feel of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Following the release of Chamber of Secrets, Columbus opted not to return to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which came out in 2004. Prisoner of Azkaban was instead helmed by Alfonso Cuarón, though Columbus remained attached to the film as a producer. Prisoner of Azkaban is notable for bringing some significant changes to the look of Hogwarts -- expanding on established locations, adding new ones and introducing an aesthetic noticeably darker than what was seen in the Columbus-directed movies.
The fourth Harry Potter film, 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was directed by Mike Newell. David Yates would then take over to helm the series' latter four films: 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2009's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2010's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
Yates has arguably become the director most synonymous with the Wizarding World, ultimately returning to helm the 2016 Harry Potter spinoff/prequel film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its 2018 sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Yates is also directing the Fantastic Beasts series' third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which is currently slated for release in April. In the meantime, a special celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter film series is set to hit HBO Max on Jan. 1.
Source:Â The A.V. Club