Harry Potter (film series) was that the principal cast be kept strictly British, allowing nevertheless for the inclusion of many 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 have enabled Warner Bros. to make non-author-written sequels. Although Steven Spielberg initially negotiated to direct the first film, he declined
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) notable change in the film series' tone and directing, and is considered by many critics and fans to be one of the best "Harry Potter" films. Harry Potter has been spending another dissatisfying summer with The Dursleys. When Harry's Aunt Marge insults his parents, he loses his temper and silently wills her to bloat up and float away. Fed up, Harry then flees the Dursleys with his luggage. The Knight Bus delivers Harry to the Leaky Cauldron, where he is pardoned by Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge for using magic outside of Hogwarts. After reuniting with his best friends Ron