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Sticking with Harry Potter
March 5, 2007
by Joal Ryan Los Angeles (E! Online) - Daniel Radcliffe is dropping trou, not Harry Potter. Radcliffe, currently showing off his abracadabras to London theatergoers, has signed to star in what could be the final two Potter movies, Warner Bros. has confirmed to E! News. Release dates for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were not announced. There was no word on Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who have costarred as Radcliffe's Hogwarts cohorts, Hermione and Ron, respectively. All three teen actors are present and accounted for in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, due in theaters July 13. Deathly Hallows, the book, is due on shelves July 21. Author J.K. Rowling has announced the tale—the seventh in the best-selling Potter series—will be the last. Radcliffe has borne Potter's lightning-bolt scar since 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which was based on Rowling's first novel. When his new deal is completed, the actor will have portrayed the wizard seven times, as many times as Sean Connery and Roger Moore each portrayed James Bond. While Connery and Moore battled the ravages of middle age along with super villains during their latter films, Radcliffe shouldn't be facing anything tougher than his early 20s by the time Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are released. Radcliffe, who was but 12 when he made his Potter debut, turns 18 in July. Last week, Radcliffe seemed to celebrate pending adulthood with his stage debut in That Play Where He Gets Naked, Just Like All Those Shirtless Publicity Photos Promised. The production is formally known as Equus. Reviews for Radcliffe's performance weren't as rabid as Internet traffic for the pictures, but they were solid. The BBC News' Neil Smith said Radcliffe "compellingly conveys the angst and trauma of a youth in crisis." In London's Guardian, Michael Billington deigned that the actor "really can act." If that doesn't give Radcliffe encouragement, there's always that two-picture Potter deal to reread. 
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