20 years ago today, Harry Potter & The Philosopherโs Stone premiered here in Australia; directed by Chris Columbus, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. Establishing a fixture of 2000s cinema which would generate an astonishing US$7.77 billion / AU$10.87 billion worth of box office revenue across an entire decade, multiples of that outside of theatres (i.e. merchandise, video games, theme parks), as well as defining the childhoods of millions โ the impact of Harry Potter on screens neednโt any further elaboration.
But like any iconic movie franchise, the Harry Potter storyโs most fascinating elements arenโt limited to what we witnessed within the confines of Hogwarts or even whatever transpired in the fictional Wizarding World. As difficult as it is to imagine a single component straying from what weโve come to know โ not even so much as a fraction โ there was a time when Harry Potter & The Philosopherโs Stone almost ventured down a drastically different path (potentially affecting every subsequent adaptation).
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Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, & M. Night Shyamalan were all in talks to direct Harry Potter & The Philosopherโs Stone
Yes, the very same Steven Spielberg behind Jaws, ET, Indiana Jones, Schindlerโs List, and Jurassic Park. The legendary director had initially signed on to helm the first Harry Potter film. Even back then, Spielberg knew this would be a major success.
โItโs like shooting ducks in a barrel. Itโs just a slam dunk,โ he told Hollywood.com.
โItโs just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. Thereโs no challenge.โ
Eventually, his vision (which weโll explore in greater detail below) proved too different from both the producers and JK Rowlingโs. Years after the fact, the man would also explain how his own waning professional desire to make The Philosopherโs Stone was a factor.
โI developed it for about five or six months with [screenwriter] Steve Kloves, and then I dropped out,โ Steven Spielberg revealed to Digital Spy during a 2012 interview.
โI just felt that I wasnโt ready to make an all-kids movie and my kids thought I was crazy. And the books were by that time popular, so when I dropped out, I knew it was going to be a phenomenon.โ
Negotiations later involved the likes of Monty Python alum and alleged;y JK Rowlingโs favoured choice Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas), Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men), Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters I & II, Kindergarten Cop, Junior), as well as M N. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Happening).
Harry Potter & The Philosopherโs Stone was going to be an animated film
Not only did Steven Spielberg want to give Harry Potter the animated treatmentโฆ he also wanted it to be a pastiche of elements from the later books, all jumbled together in a single film. So who wouldโve played โ or rather, voiced โ The Boy Who Lived / Chosen One himself? American actor and child star of The Sixth Sense: Haley Joel Osment. Suffice it to say, weโre glad this version never saw the light of day, and weโre glad the series was given sufficient time to develop at its own pace.
Robin Williams wanted to play Hagrid
Some things just make perfect sense the moment you hear about them. For example: an incredibly affable, charming, and most importantly, sincere talent like Robin Williams in the role of an equally affable, charming, and sincere character like Hogwartsโ half-giant groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. Think about it. Williams wouldโve blended the best parts of Mrs Doubtfire, Genie, and just himself all into one role. Sadly, when the producers began enforcing a strict British and Irish casting rule, his hopes were dashed.
โRobin [Williams] had called because he really wanted to be in the movie,โ casting director Janet Hirshenson explains to the Huffington Post.
โBut it was a British-only edict, and once he said โnoโ to Robin, he wasnโt going to say โyesโ to anybody else, thatโs for sure. It couldnโt be.โ
Richard Harris turned down the role of Albus Dumbledore three times
While he would later be replaced by Michael Gambon post-Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets due to his untimely passing, Richard Harris was an integral player in the first two films, effectively setting the entire franchiseโs tone with his turn as Hogwarts Headmaster and revered wizard, Albus Dumbledore. Prior to his contribution, however, Harry Potter & the Philosopherโs Stone was at risk of missing out on some classic Harris magic altogether. The veteran of drama actually turned down the gig three times.
โAll I knew is that they kept offering me the part and raising the salary every time they called โ I kept turning it down,โ said Richard Harris.
โAnyone involved has to agree to be in the sequels, all of them, and thatโs not how I wanted to spend the last years of my life, so I said no over and over again.โ
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Christoper Lee of The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars fame was asked to play Dumbledore but declined due to scheduling conflicts (almost certainly imposed by the former of the mentioned franchises). It wasnโt until Harrisโ own granddaughter Ella convinced him otherwise.
โShe said, โPapaโฆ I hear youโre not going to be in the Harry Potter movie,โ and she said, โIf you donโt play Dumbledore then I will never speak to you again.'โ
โNuff said.
At one stage, they were planning on renaming it Harry Potter & The School of Magic for American markets (and The Philosopherโs Stone everywhere else)
We all know Yanks arenโt the most subtle bunch. And the marketing folks over at Warner Bros feared Harry Potter & The Philosopherโs Stone would be a little too esoteric for US audiences. The most ham-fisted American solution possible? Dumb it down and call it exactly what it is: Harry Potter & The School of Magic. Thankfully, JK Rowling vetoed the shit out of that ill-advised decision.
โNo, that doesnโt feel right to meโฆ What if we called it the Sorcererโs Stone?โ
Which is why international audiences know the film as Harry Potter & The Philosopherโs Stone while Americans know it as Harry Potter & The Sorcererโs Stone. Incidentally, the French edition of the book is titled Harry Potter a Lโecole Des Sorciers, or translated, Harry Potter at Wizarding School. Everything just sounds better in French, I supposeโฆ
Bonus Fact: JK Rowling only received ยฃ1 million for the first four Harry Potter booksโ screen rights. For reference, Harry Potter & The Philosopherโs alone made over a billion dollars worldwide, while the first four films in total racked up well over $3 billion.
