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Harry, Ron and Hermione may find some of those elusive Horcruxes in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," but there is one thing they won't find, no matter how hard they look: a third dimension. And neither will the audience.
Warner Bros. announced today that "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" will not -- repeat, will NOT -- be released in 3-D as originally planned because the conversion to the format would not be completed by the film's November 19 release date.
"Despite everyone's best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality," the studio said in a statement. "We do not want to disappoint fans who have long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010 as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate 'Harry Potter' experience."
Producer David Heyman and director David Yates backed the studio's decision. "For 10 years, we have worked alongside Alan Horn and the studio, whose priority has always been to preserve the integrity of Jo Rowling's books as we have adapted them to the screen," Heyman said in a statement. "This decision reflects that commitment."
Added Yates: "This decision, which we completely support, underscores the fact that Warner Bros. has always put quality first." Gotta love the show of unity, but that's to be expected from the people making the movie. The big question is: How will fans react?
We've never been huge supporters of converting movies to 3-D after the fact -- at best it can be unnecessary; at worst it can be "Clash of the Titans" -- but if it had been done properly, we wouldn't have minded some 3-D wizardry for "Deathly Hallows: Part 1." Still, it doesn't affect our enthusiasm for the film at all. We're just as pumped now as we were when we woke up this morning.
Of course, we will be treated to some three-dimensional "Potter" fun beginning July 15, 2011: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is still on tap for both 2-D and 3-D versions.
Are you bummed... or glad that "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" won't be in 3-D?
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