To everyone's shock today, Warner Bros. have officially confirmed that the 6th Harry Potter film, Half-Blood Prince, has been pushed back by 8 months to a July 17th, 2009 release date. The film was originally schedule for release on November 21st 2008 in the US and UK, and December 5th in South Africa. The reasons given include the effects of the writer's strike (though this may have affected some other WB productions, it certainly did not affect
the Harry Potter film) and a desire to release the film in the American 'summer' opposed to the 'Christmas' market. Marketing for the November date has already been well under way, with listings of screenings, the teaser trailer and special
merchandise already making an appearance. The news has been greeted with disappointment and anger by fans all over the world. Even Warner Bros. seem to admit that profits, and not fans, are being considered in making the change. Read the fairly baffling statement by Warner Bros. below (baffling because the idea that the Harry Potter films won't rake in the bucks whenever they are released, is ridiculous):

Our reasons for shifting Half-Blood Prince to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers's strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films, changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move 'Half-Blood Prince' to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.

See more on The Leaky Cauldron.

The world-wide release dates for the 6th film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, are now available with Warner Bros. The big news is that while the film hits its largest markets in the US and the UK on November 21st, it only arrives in South African cinemas two weeks later, on December the 5th. Australians have to wait even longer - until December 11th. For reasons no one can decipher, the first countries to get the film will be Belgium and Egypt, on November the 19th. See when the film will be released in your country.

Last year JK Rowling put a book of hand-written fables - the physical form of the 'Tales of Beedle the Bard' that appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - up for auction. The book was bought by Amazon.com. On her website this week, JK Rowling announced that Amazon, in collaboration with Bloomsbury and Scholastic publishers will make the book available to the public in December. The published version will be available in all bookshops, and the proceeds from sales will go to the Children's High Level Group, a charity requested by JK Rowling. JK Rowling writes:

The new edition will include the Tales themselves, translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, and with illustrations by me, but also notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters' Archive.' 'Dumbledore's commentary on the Tales, which was discovered among his papers after his death, includes some historical notes, personal reminiscences, and insights into that most mysterious branch of magic: wandlore.

You can see the cover art for the book at the Scholastic website.

A very magical and happy birthday to Harry Potter and JK Rowling! Harry turns 28 today. I hope there aren't too many ministry owls pecking him on the head in the Auror office, in an effort to deliver their birthday messages. Harry Potter author Jo Rowling turns 43 today. I hope there aren't too many owls pecking Jo either. I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry in the films, a belated happy 19th birthday. Dan, who turned 19 on July 23rd, will be making his way to New York soon to begin the Broadway run of his play Equus.

Warner Bros. have released the teaser trailer for the 6th film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The film is directed by David Yates and will be out in November. David Yates will also direct Part 1 and Part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

You can view the trailer by click on one of the following links:
- Trailer on YouTube

Warner Bros. feeds (select the one that is best for your internet speed):

Quicktime Standard:

- L arge

- Medium

- S mall

- L ow

News has been very slow... but, now, at last, a real newsworthy story!

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has written an 800 word prequel to the Harry Potter books, dealing with one episode. The short-piece features Sirius Black and James Potter, and is set about 3 years before Harry's birth. The piece will be auctioned off for charity, with the proceeds going to English PEN, the writers’ association, and the Dyslexia Society. The piece, along with short-stories by several other writers, will be available for everyone to buy in August. In a news entry on her website, Rowling wrote:

After playing around with a number of different ideas I decided to write a short (for me!) excerpt from a prequel to the Potter series. It is about 800 words long and the action takes place around 3 years before Harry is born.

Although I did feel a bit like a relapsing addict as I sat down to write – the words poured from my pen with frightening ease – I am NOT working on a prequel. Indeed, I’ve written that clearly at the bottom of the card itself. I just thought that this was the best way to make money for two extremely worthwhile charities.

The good news for Potter fans who will not be able to bid at the auction is that you will be able to read the short story (along with amazing contributions from Doris Lessing, Margaret Atwood, Tom Stoppard, Irvine Welsh, Sebastian Faulks, Axel Scheffler, Lauren Child, Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Lisa Appignanesi, Richard Ford, and Michael Rosen) by purchasing a book of facsimiles, which will be available in August. The proceeds from this book, too, will go to the charities.

To update you on the other two major stories of the month: Filming of HBP has been completed. A new picture of Draco, Snape and others at Slughorn's party is available on The Leaky Cauldron website.

The other thing hogging the headlines is the JKR & WB case vs. HP Lexicon website's Steve Van der Ark & RDR books. It is bringing up some interesting debates on copyright. If you're interested, you can follow the case on The Leaky Cauldron website at this link:

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/archives/category/389

Warner Bros. have announced the details of what is to be a two-part finale in the Harry Potter film series. David Yates, director of the 5th and 6th Potter films, will also direct the screen adaptation of the 7th and final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Warner Brothers President Jeff Robinov announced today in a press release:

It has been an honor for our studio to be entrusted with bringing J.K. Rowling’s extraordinary book series to the screen, and we have always felt a great responsibility to be true to her vision. In concluding the film franchise, we recognized that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is packed with vital plot points that complete the story arcs of all of its beloved characters. That said, we feel that the best way to do the book, and its many fans, justice is to expand the screen adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and release the film in two parts. We could not imagine the final chapter of the film franchise being in better hands than those of David Yates.

Steve Kloves will resume his post of screenwriter, while David Heyman and David Barron will again produce. This marks the first time that the entire cast and crew will remain the same over the course of more than 2 films (Chris Columbus director the first two Potter films). Part one and Part Two of Deathly Hallows will be filmed at the same same time (a bit like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy). Filming begins in February 2009. Part One will be released in November 2010, while Part Two will be released in May 2011.

In an interview with the Edinburgh Student Newspaper, Harry Potter author JK Rowling talks freely about life after Harry Potter, progress on the Harry Potter Encyclopedia, Dumbledore's sexuality (and the response to that announcement last year) and the issue of banned books. She also touches on her experiences fighting depression and discusses her future book projects. It's a fascinating article, and well worth a look: View article in PDF format.

Happy New Year everyone! So comes to a close 2007, the most eventful year in Potter history. The year had many highlights - new films and plays featuring the actors from the Harry Potter films breaking free from their type-cast status; the release of 5th film and most importantly, the release of the 7th and final Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows. Join me in raising your butterbeer tankards in a toast to JK Rowling, Harry Potter and to all of us, Potter fans around the world. Cheers!

A reminder that the documentary, directed by James Runcie, entitled "JK Rowling... A Year in the Life" will screen in the UK on December 30th, on ITV 1, from 7pm until 8pm. The documentary is an extraordinary project, providing a rare glimpse into the life of Jo Rowling and of the effect her books have had on people all over the world. ITV have released a number of preview clips from the documentary, which you can view at The Leaky Cauldron website.

Meanwhile, on her website, JK responds to the auctioning of Beedle the Bard in the news section. There is also a fascinating sketch of the Weasley, Potter, Lovegood and Malfoy family trees behind the door that usually bears a 'do not disturb' sign. Click the eraser on Jo's desk to reach the room with a closed door, then click the door handle. Major Spoiler Warning: do not proceed unless you have read the 7th and final book, Deathly Hallows.

Finally, fan website The Leaky Cauldron has a wonderful, informal interview with JK Rowling on their radio show Pottercast. She answers many popular questions during the interview. To visit or download, visit the Pottercast website.

CBBC Newsround are reporting that the roles of Hogwarts students Cormac McLaggan, Blaise Zabini, Katie Bell, Romilda Vane and Marcus Belby have been filled for the 6th Harry Potter film, Half-Blood Prince.

Gryffindor student Cormac McLaggan will be played by actor Freddie Stroma. Malfoy's Slytherin ally, Zabini, is to be played by 18-year-old Louis Cordice. Georgina Leonidas has been cast in the role of Gryffindor chaser Katie Bell, who also features because of a curse. Katie's friend Leanne will be played by Isabella Laughland. The role of Gryffindor student Romilda Vane, who has her eye on Harry and causes havoc with her love potions, will be taken up by Anna Shaffer. Finally, Ravenclaw Marcus Belby will be played by Robert Knox.

To see pictures of some of the actors cast, and for more information, visit CBBC Newsround.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is due for release in cinemas on November 21st, 2008.

Amazon.com have published a set of reviews that gives fans a wonderful glimpse into the fairy-tales penned by JK Rowling in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. They have been reviewing each of the stories individually, accompanied by pictures of the hand-written scripts and by the author's illustrations. Check this link daily, as they will be completing the full set of reviews over the next few days: Amazon reviews.

JK Rowling's hand-made copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a set of short stories mentioned in the 7th Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows has been auctioned at Sotheby's for a record sum of 1 million, 950 thousand pounds. The book was bought by Amazon.com. The company plans to take the book to schools, so that children can see it and to make some of its contents available to all Harry Potter fans. They don't plan to make any money from this venture. Let's hope they stick to their word! More details on the way.