Did Steven Spielberg Make a Huge Mistake by Walking Away from Harry Potter?
Sometimes in the movie business – just like in real life – people make decisions that prioritize their family over their work.
That's exactly what kept the highest-grossing director of all time from directing one of the 21st century's most beloved film franchises.
After the film rights to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone novel were bought by Warner Bros. for $1 million, Steven Spielberg was initially chosen to direct. He was right on the heels of an incredible run of films in the 1980s-90s, including Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan.
Spielberg said in 2001 that, financially, it would have been like "shooting ducks in a barrel" and "a slam dunk." Nevertheless, he turned it down.
Recently, he opened up about his decision. The working conditions on Harry Potter have always been described as taxing, with the cast and crew moving away from home to work for months on end.
With several children under the age of 10, that was a trip Spielberg wasn't willing to make.
He turned down the project to spend the next year and a half with his wife, Kate Chapshaw, and their children, saying his family made it worth sacrificing having worked on a great franchise like Harry Potter.
The director role eventually went to Chris Columbus, with Warner Bros. citing his work on Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire as the deciding factor. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, then-president of WB, said he "can't think of anyone more ideally suited" for a series based around children and magic.
While Spielberg's an incredible director with an iconic body of work, it probably worked in Harry Potter's favor that he turned it down.
When hiring an iconic director like Spielberg, a film becomes a "Spielberg film" rather than what it originally sought out to be. It was a studio-driven franchise trying to emulate Rowling's vision, rather than a vessel for a filmmaking auteur.
Fans are more than pleased with the product they were given. Across 11 movies, the Wizarding World franchise is the fourth-highest-grossing film franchise in history, just short of $10 billion.
Spielberg's revelation about Harry Potter came in an interview with S.S. Rajamouli, director of Netflix- released RRR from last year.
Spielberg was promoting his recently released The Fabelmans, given seven nominations for March 12th's Academy Awards.