The sixth and penultimate episode of the Potter film series just began filming, so there are naturally very few details available. However, all the major players (the actors portraying Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna, to name a few) have signed on for this and the final film, The Dea thly Hallows (arriving, we'd guess, Summer 2009). And Order of the Phoenix director David Yates has been confirmed to direct once again. Longtime screenwriter Steve Kloves, although he skipped Order of the Phoenix, will return to scripting duties.
Some casting news has appeared on the Web recently - notably the exciting addition of Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn - but other details are slow in coming. Even the sho oting locations are undetermined - rumors have it that filmin g will move from England and Scotland to Ireland and/or New Zealand. Wherever it's filmed, we're anxious to see how Yates, Kloves and the cast handle this entry in the series, which contains tons of exposition and flashbacks and lots of character development but doesn't really boast a whole lot of action until the (admittedly thrilling) ending. The book kind of feels like a placeholder or a set-up for the final chapter, and a big-budget movie doesn't really have that luxury as an option!