As we reported several weeks ago, crews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows have been filming scenes in Swinley Forest.

London Taxi Tours, well known for finding Potter sets, has uploaded another video from the area. The video shows more wigwam-like huts built for filming surrounded by very large trees. We also see tourists checking out the area.

Warwick Davis, who plays Professor Flitwick in the Potter films, updated his Twitter account with some filming information early this morning.

Morning! On my way to 'Hogwarts'. Looking forward it. I'll be 'Griphook' today. Wish I could tell you what we're shooting."

What do you think they are filming? If you're a Twitter user, you can follow Warwick: @WarwickADavis, and while you're there, follow all the Harry Potter stars on Twitter.

Thanks to Joshua!

Nikki Finke and The Hollywood Reporter - two very reliable sources in the movie industry - are both reporting Warner Brothers has confirmed its plans to make Deathly Hallows, Part 1 a 3D film.

Word about Warner Brothers considering 3D for most of its 2010 films first surfaced last week. From Nikki Finke:

Additional titles in 2010 that will be released in 3D (in addition to 2D) include Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (July), Guardians of Ga’Hoole (September), and Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (November) -- and I'm told Part II as well at a later date

Said Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros Pictures, in the announcement, “We are experienced and have been successful in the conversion of 2D to 3D going back to such hits as The Polar Express, select scenes in Superman Returns and the last two Harry Potter films.” Fellman continued, “The results for Clash of the Titans will be presented onscreen with the highest-quality images available today.”

Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros Picture Group, said, “We’re excited about 3D and look forward to bringing a rich, involving visual experience to audiences around the world.”

There are some new interview bits online this morning thanks to Potter fansite HarryPotterForever.fr.

While the translation is very rough, we learn about challenges and scenes that Dan, Emma, and Rupert have recently shot:

Emma Watson
To kiss Rupert in front of cameras will stay the strangest experience for me, since I've played in Harry Potter. Him and I was frightened about this scene, and would like to do it quickly. But the hardest is coming ... I have to kiss Dan ! It's a scene where Ron imagine a kiss between Harry and Hermione."

"We haven't filmed the epilogue yet, in which we can see the future of Harry, Ron and Hermione 19 years later. At the beginning, producers would like to replace us, but they finally kept us. We will look like 40 years old persons. I'm very impatient to see that !"

Daniel Radcliffe
"In the Deathly Hallows, you'll see Harry as you never saw him before ! For example, I shot a scene where i'm entirely naked. When I read the script, I thought that I would carry underwears but no ! I've already done it for Equus so it wasn't so difficult. I'm wondering how people will react, even if any things will be hidden in the screen !"

In a recent interview concerning an upcoming project, Julie Walters, the actress who plays Molly Weasley in the Potter films, talked about her work on Deathly Hallows.

"It is back to Harry Potter. Mrs Weasley has a lot to do this time. I kill Helena Bonham Carter for a start – and not many can say that. We have a bit of a wand contest, I can't wait. It will be sad, though, because I've watched all of them all grow up. It will certainly leave a void."

Thanks to Snitch Seeker!

The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision Blog is reporting that Warner Bros. will release both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 3D. The article reads:

"Early 3D-conversion tests on Warners' remake of 'Clash of the Titans' have gone so well that -- combined with boosted enthusiasm for 3D in the wake of the 'Avatar' tsunami -- the Burbank studio has decided to release not only 'Titans' but also the two-part 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' in 3D."

The cost of transferring each film to 3D will be roughly $5 million. The company will pay an additional $5 million per picture for 3D glasses to theaters handling the movies.

Please treat this all as a rumor until we receive confirmation from Warner Bros.

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed in!

The latest issue of Total Film Magazine has a new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows set preview, where the trio and director David Yates talk about Parts 1 and 2.

Snitch Seeker got a copy of the magazine and reports (via Harry Potter's Page):

Yates called Part I a road film, saying it was dynamic, adrenalised, and visceral. He continued, “It’s a refugee story about three kids cut off from everything they know and everybody they love, being pursued relentlessly by people who want to murder them.”

He then pondered about the split and how one should go about splitting one story to make it two distinct stories. “Do you break it with a moment of suspense or one of resolution?” he asked aloud.

He also called Part II, “A big opera, a great big epic, with huge battles.”
Emma said she felt she was on a different film as this film doesn’t have the structure that the previous films had. She explained, “The others have this structure. You know, we come into the Great Hall and there’s the opening talk. And that’s gone.”

Screenwriter Steven Kloves gave a bit of a hint about the split, saying it was the most sound creative decision on where the split occurs. He also stated that the split will give a proper send-off to certain characters, “It should allow us to stretch a bit with the characters and give them the proper send-off.”

If anyone has scans from the magazine (Issue 164), please send them in to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

London Taxi Tours - long known for their photos from various Harry Potter sets over the years - has just posted a new video revealing more filming going on in Swinley Forest.

Seen here on YouTube, the video has shots of various areas in the forest prepared for filming. At 2:09 you'll see shots of wigwam-like huts built solely out of sticks. At 3:11 you'll see something like a treehouse and a ladder to get in.

Check out the entire video for some other interesting shots! Thanks to Allison for the tip.

Early this morning we reported a rumor claiming composer Alexandre Desplat was to score Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

We've looked into the matter, and after speaking with the folks who originally reported the story on Film Score Monthly, we now know that this piece of info is confirmed by Desplat's agent.

Desplat has composed such recent films as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Julie & Julia, The Golden Compass, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

No word yet on who will compose Deathly Hallows, Part 2. What do you think of Desplat getting the reigns for Part 1?

UPDATE: The person who reported this news on Film Score Monthly is citing "a very reliable source". We're continuing our attempt to confirm!

Fans have long waited to hear who will be composing the score for the final two Harry Potter films. This morning, there is a chance the composer for Part 1 has surfaced.

Film Score Monthy's "2009 Top Forty Composer Countdown" notes that Alexandre Desplat, who has composed such recent films as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Julie & Julia, The Golden Compass, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, will be composing Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

The article notes at the end of his profile: "[Alexandre Desplat] has signed for one his most challenging and highest-profile assignments yet, the penultimate entry in the Harry Potter saga."

Film Score Monthly does not note where they found this information. We've had e-mails into Mr. Desplat's agents as well as the owners of Film Score Monthly since last night to receive confirmation. So far, no word. We'll keep you updated!

Thanks to MuggleNet readers Matt, Jordan, and Luna for the tip.

The Belfast Telegraph has a new interview with Domhnall Gleeson, who will play Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Gleeson discusses stepping away from Potter to work on a new project with his father, Brendan (Mad-Eye Moody), and younger brother.

"Being an actor in Harry Potter is a different experience. It's fantastic at the same time but there are so many extras and it's just so huge, you're not in control of anything."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will be released November 19.

Thanks to Snitch Seeker!

Yahoo! Movies UK recently visited the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and they've just released a preview of what they learned. Below are some comments from Dan and Emma on what its been like to play their roles as of late:

“Harry is like a Roman Emperor in his last days and everyone is turning on him," moaned Radcliffe. "Harry is completely paranoid about what Ron and Hermione are saying about him. He thinks they’re doubting his leadership, but while he is asking people that, he himself is doubting his leadership. He has no plan, so he is pretty useless."

Watson adds, "It's challenging in every way - physically, emotionally. They’re away from home. They’re isolated, they don’t have any news. They don’t know what they’re doing. They’re pulling at shreds. Dumbledore had hardly left them anything to go on."

Read more at this link! Thanks to Boabid for the tip.

The Sunday Mail has a new interview with actor Daniel Radcliffe and producer David Barron. The two discuss the camping scenes shot in Scotland and how they dealt with the frigid weather in the area last week.

Producer David Barron made a snap decision not to write snow scenes into the plot. He said:

"If we had the likelihood is that by the time we filmed them, the snow would have gone. We have only lost half a day's filming because of the snow."

Instead of shooting the scheduled outdoor sequences last week, the team moved back inside the studios and completed scenes on the giant Hogwarts Great Hall set.

As he prepared to act out a dramatic scene in the battle against Voldemort, Daniel revealed that audiences can expect a change of scene when the first part of the finale is released later this year. He said:

"Part I is a road movie. We are not in Hogwarts at all and it's going to look very different, and the action is going to be pretty extraordinary."

Before leaving the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, actor Timothy Spall, who plays Peter Pettigrew, decided he was going to take something with him.

"I lifted a prosthetic ear while filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It's strictly frowned upon, but it was too good to pass by. It will live on a shelf at home. If they're truthful, most performers try to get a souvenir from every job they do."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will be released on November 19. For all we've got on the film, click here!

Yesterday we told you that Empire Magazine had a new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 preview in their latest issue. Today we have a scan of the preview thanks to MuggleNet reader Clare!

The page-long report includes new comments from Dan Radcliffe who speaks from the set of the Seven Potter scene. Dan calls it "the single most complicated sequence we've done in any of the films. Everyone's changing into me and nobody really knows what's going on. I'm dressed up as everyone else and they're dressing up as me, and, well, it's very confusing."

It also includes a bit from director David Yates, who says he "watched the first assembly of Part One just last week, and the most interesting dynamic is that you're taking these three characters we know quite well away from the comfort zone of Hogwarts. And you really can't underestimate the odd power of that."

The folks at Empire Magazine have had several Potter-related previews in the past, and it looks like they're about to released another one!

The February 2010 cover of Empire promises "68 pages of on-set access" for many films coming out in 2010. One film mentioned right on the cover is "Potter 7".

While we do not know what photos or content are to be included, we do expect this issue to be hitting newsstands soon.

If you spot it, please send in scans to tips at staff dot mugglenet dot com!

Thanks to ScarPotter for the tip.

Warner Brothers has released a list of Deathly Hallows - Part 1 cast members in a 2010 Preview Kit for members of the press. There are several new-to-Potter cast members listed who we've confirmed over the past year, including Bill Nighy (Scrimgeour), Rhys Ifans (Xenophilius), Ciaran Hinds (Aberforth), Jamie Campbell-Bower (Grindelwald), and David O'Hara (Runcorn).

But, we did notice one actress who we thought may not come back.

Miranda Richardson, known to Potter fans for her role as Rita Skeeter in Goblet of Fire, will be in Deathly Hallows. She had made some (quite frankly) strange remarks about returning for future Potter films during Goblet of Fire's New York premiere in November 2005:

"Why aren't I coming back? I don't know. Partly because it's always nice to see new people. And also because they'll have a different angle on the story. It's never going to be the book on film exactly. The book is one thing, the film is another. They'll take certain aspects from the book and, you know, make it something that they hope will be commercial and people will want to see."

You can see video from this interview with MuggleNet at this link, starting at the 6-minute mark. Strange comments from 2005 aside, we now know for sure that Miranda will be back. Hurrah!

In a new interview, actor Bill Nighy, who will play Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows talks about his role in the two-part finale.

"Scrimgeour is a tragic figure. He knows what's coming. It's a very moving thing to play."

"He's also very powerful and has had a very complicated progress to the top. And he has an interesting relationship with Harry, who views him initially with contempt. But then it's softened by subsequent events."

"There's a scene where he delivers Dumbledore's legacy to the three children. He gives them all the things Dumbledore has left them, and that's when it's indicated he may not be around for much longer."

Thanks to Snitch Seeker for the tip!

Michael Thompson, who is set to play one of 20 Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, took the time this weekend to donate his Potter book collection to the British Heart Foundation.

For the past few years Mr. Thompson has been collecting first editions of the famous books written by JK Rowling. He has about 60 Harry Potter books at home.

Thompson is spending much of this month filming on set and will wrap up in January.

Thanks to Scar Potter for passing this along!

The actor who plays Draco Malfoy in the Potter series continues to promote the Half-Blood Prince DVD with US media outlets (he reveals in this interview that this trip to the US was a last-minute decision).

In what could be considered the best interview yet from this US media push, the Wall Street Journal speaks to Tom about Deathly Hallows filming and the Half-Blood Prince DVD. On the subject of the former, Tom briefly hints at what they're filming currently:

Tom Felton: I can’t reveal too much, or I’ll get myself in trouble, but I can say that we’ve been shooting some of the very last scenes from the very last film. Though we’re not going to be able to see it for another two years, which is crazy. But it’s very moving, because this is what we’ve been working toward for the last 10 years. Daniel [Radcliffe] is the figurehead of the series, so when we see him battered and abused and scarred [while in character] on set, you get all emotional.

Later in the interview, Tom comments on the recent news of nude scenes in Deathly Hallows:

I’ve seen some pretty horrific… no, I’m kidding. I haven’t seen any pictures — usually they do artist’s impressions to show us, but I haven’t seen anything yet. I haven’t talked to Dan about it, actually. I may have to have a word. I’m sure it will be awkward for them.

The one thing to keep in find is that [the Potter series] are adult books. Half the characters die by the end, and often in grisly ways. Teenagers are about sex, drugs and rock & roll, and David’s very keen to keep the films true to what these kids would be going through in real life; he’s not censoring anything that doesn’t need to be censored. The idea of this alluring Hermione is great, because [the character] is so unalluring; it’ll be great to switch it up. And I can’t say exactly, but I look forward to what happens.