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 for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", released on 18 November 2005. Newell became the first British director of the series, with television director David Yates following suit after he was chosen to helm "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". Production began in January 2006 and the film was released the following year in July 2007. After executives were "really delighted" with his work on the film, Yates was selected to direct "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", which was released on 15 July 2009. In March 2008, Warner Bros. President and COO Alan F. Horn announced