During the period of working on plans for "Brideshead Revisited", Yates was told by his agent that he had made the director shortlist for the fifth film in the "Harry Potter" series and that Warner Bros. was eyeing him to direct. He was then shortly after confirmed to direct "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" by Warner Bros. Pictures, with production scheduled to begin in early 2006. When asked how Yates got the job, producer David Heyman ("a big fan" of Yates's television work) said that "actors in David's television projects give their best performance, often of their career. It's important to keep pushing the actors, particularly the young ones on each "Potter" film. This is a political film, not with a capital P, but it's about teen rebellion and the abuse of power. David has made films in the U.K. about politics without being heavy handed."