He may be the most influential director in Hollywood but Steven Spielberg was forced to kowtow to studio execs to win helmship of the Harry Potter movie. In an announcement this weekend, Spielberg ended speculation with confirmation that he would direct Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. It's been some time since a movie was so hotly anticipated that a studio could use it to entice directors like Johnathan Demme, Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis to compete against one another. In the end, Spielberg won over Warner Bros by agreeing to direct Harry Potter ahead of Minority Report and the Kubrick project AI. Much to Harry fans relief, Spielberg said that casting scouts were currently looking for an English boy to play Harry - a fact which allays fears that Hollywood would try to Americanise the story.
Spielberg Takes On Harry Potter
Director chooses Philosopher's Stone over AI and Minority Report
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