Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Set of the Phoenix
"Serious Magic", as the set report is called, provides some serious details into the production of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Besides reminding us that David Yates will return to direct Half-Blood Prince -- making him only the second director to direct more than one Potter installment -- the report comes jam-packed full of cool information including a discussion on the different formula applied to Phoenix. If all the promises come true, OotP's dark atmosphere should make Prisoner of Azkaban look like a day in the park. Huge challenge, indeed.

Since almost the entire cast is under drinking age here in the states, it is cool to also hear that some of the more-experienced cast are handing down some acting secrets.

Working with the cream of the British acting establishment across the films has certainly been beneficial. During one particularly emotional scene in this installment, Radcliffe recalls Oldman saying to him: " 'Dan, do you mind if I do something sort of physical with you before we start?' I was like, 'No, no,' assuming he meant giving me a hug. He came up to me and grabbed me and shook me really, really hard. As he went away, he kept eye contact. And tears started to form up. I had no idea how it happened, but it worked."