Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) the company the rights to the first four "Harry Potter" books for a reported £1 million (US$1,982,900). A demand Rowling made was that the principal cast be kept strictly British, nonetheless allowing for the inclusion of Irish actors such as Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and for casting of French and Eastern European actors in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" where characters from the book are specified as such. Rowling was hesitant to sell the rights because she "didn't want to give them control over the rest of the story" by selling the rights to the characters, which would
Harry Potter (film series) was released in November 2010, and "Part 2" was released in July 2011. Five of the series' eight films are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" the highest-grossing film in the series and one of 36 films to gross over $1 billion, ranking at number ten. Without inflation adjustment, it is the third highest-grossing film series with $7.7 billion in worldwide receipts. Late in 1997, film producer David Heyman's London offices received a copy of the first book in what would become Rowling's series of seven "Harry Potter"