Why the Director of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chose to Split the Final Movie

The director of the previous Harry Potter series has finally opened up about the challenges faced in dividing the last movie, as the new Harry Potter series may be in development.

There has been a lot of recent discussion surrounding the franchise, whether it be the new series or the controversy surrounding JK Rowling. However, now a director from the original film run has joined the conversation.

Director David Yates took on the task of creating a fulfilling two-part split for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" since the first part lacked a third act.

Why Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies were split

Deathly Hallows director David Yates recently reflected on the two movies, which came out at the end of the Harry Potter film franchise, in 2010 and 2011.

In a recent interview with Collider, Yates discussed the challenges of dividing the final book into two movies. He acknowledged that one of the major issues with Deathly Hallows: Part One was the lack of a third act. Yates and Mark Day often found themselves struggling to figure out how to solve this problem. Yates stated, "It's crazy. This movie doesn't have a third act."

Yates explained that the two movies, Part One and Part Two, were designed with a specific concept in mind. Part One served as a road movie, taking the characters out of their safe school environment and putting them in danger. This allowed for their growth and tested their relationships. However, this led directly into the climax and final moments of the story. To create a sense of escalation, Yates and his team meticulously worked on Part One to ensure that the end of the movie felt like a buildup, despite its initial lack of a third act. They transformed it from a Jazz Hands performance into something more impactful.

“There is not much happening towards the end of the second half of the movie, and I must admit that. People still come up to me and say, 'Mate, my favorite film is Hallows: Part One. It was absolutely amazing, felt like a European road movie'. And my response would be, 'Yes, but the incredible work we put into the editing'.

Yates faced challenges, but the division of Deathly Hallows is widely regarded as the top example in its genre. Both parts of the concluding tale were highly successful both commercially and critically. In contrast, other movie franchises that attempted to replicate this approach struggled. Twilight: Breaking Dawn performed decently, but The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Divergent: Allegiant witnessed lower box office earnings and received mixed reviews. The Divergent series was even canceled prior to its final installment. For more information on the Harry Potter series, click here. Explore our TV & movie hubs below.

Season 2 of Invincible | Season 4 of The Boys | Season 5 of Stranger Things | Season 2 of Severance | TV show adaptation of Harry Potter | Season 2 of House of the Dragon | Season 2 of The Night Agent | Saw X | Joker 2 | Movie adaptation of Borderland | Season 4 of The Mandalorian | Season 3 of Heartstopper.