In the wake of the BBC announcement yesterday that current Time Lord, matt Smith, has quit Doctor Who, rumours have been running wild with who might be next to take a place in the Tardis Hall of Fame.

And now, as The Mirror newspaper reports, the front runners could well be Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, who played Ron in the hot film series,  and Him & Her star Russell Tovey, with both actors being placed by bookies at 10/1 favourites!
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There’s sad news this morning as BBC News have announced that actor Richard Griffiths, who starred in the Harry Potter movies as well as TV drama Withnail and I, has died aged 65.

It’s believed he passed away following complications after having had heart surgery.

BBC News adds, “Griffiths enjoyed a long career of success on film and on TV, but also on the stage where he was a Tony-winning character actor.

“He was best known for playing Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films and Uncle Monty in Withnail and I.” Read more & comment »

Fans of the Harry Potter films will no doubt be happy, and probably a tad surprised, to hear that a ninth film is currently being filmed!

It had been thought that the eighth movie would be the last, however, The Sun reports that the stars of the mega-hit films – including Helena Bonham Carter who’s reprising her role as witch Bellatrix Lestrange – are filming scenes for the ninth installment at the Potter studios in Hertfordshire.

A source confirmed last night, “The cast have really enjoyed getting back together — they are so tight-knit.”

However, branded a “mini-movie”, the new film will only be screened at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction in Florida and when they’re completed, at two new Hogwarts theme parks which are currently under construction in California and Japan. Read more & comment »

From November, Sky Movies will be the first movie service to offer viewers the entire Harry Potter™ film series from start to finish – and the only place on UK television to watch the boy wizard’s adventures this Christmas.

Sky Movies customers will be able to enjoy the most successful movie franchise in box office history – from Harry’s first outing in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone™ to his final, epic battle with Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2 – from 5th November.

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Well, ok, Harry Potter per se isn’t about to become a rapist in a new movie, but Daniel Radcliffe, who of course played the bespectacled one, is…

Empire Online report that Daniel will star in new supernatural thriller, Horns, which is the brainchild of Red Granite and Mandalay Pictures.

However, it seems that Daniel wasn’t first in line for the role, but as Shia LaBeouf turned it down, Daniel signed up to play Ig Perrish, who’s the prime suspect in the violent rape and murder of his girlfriend.

Empire adds, “Hung-over from a night of hard drinking, Ig awakens one morning to find horns starting to grow from his own head and soon realizes their power drives people to confess their sins and give in to their most selfish and unspeakable impulses – an effective tool in his quest to discover the true circumstances of his late girlfriend’s tragedy and for exacting revenge on her killer…” Read more & comment »

Daniel Radcliffe is 500/1 with Ladbrokes to take over from Ed Miliband as the next Labour leader.

Following his public defection from the Lib-Dems it’s also 33/1 he stands as a Labour MP before 2050 with odds of 150/1 applying should the wizard ever make it to Number 10.

He’s just 5/1 to work his magic at the next Labour Party conference, while it’s 4/1 that any current Labour MP dons a cloak or picks up a wand for a photoshoot this year.

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Jamie Waylett, who played the role of Hogwarts bully Vincent Crabbe, has been accused of possessing explosives during the London riots, and with growing cannabis.

The Sun reports that Waylett – who’s 22 years old – was arrested after police raided his home and allegedly found 15 “mature” cannabis plants.

The officers initially arrived at Waylett’s home to arrest him on suspicion of having a petrol bomb – and intent to use it – during the riots in London.

The paper adds, “He is also charged with handling stolen goods — a bottle of champagne that was allegedly looted from Sainsbury’s. The cannabis charge alone has a maximum sentence of 14 years.”

Waylett, who was charged under the Criminal Damage Act, is said to have been armed with a petrol bomb which was said to be, “in your custody or under your control”. Read more & comment »

Francis Boulle says he dumped Harry Potter actress Emma Watson because she was too famous.

Speaking to this week’s heat magazine, Francis who now stars in E4’s Made In Chelsea says: “We had a bit of a thing a while back, but I have always been an ambitious person and I want to achieve my own notoriety for what I’ve done.”

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Lovefilm recently commissioned a poll of its customers and website visitors, asking which was their favourite on-screen school, and the legendary Harry Potter home of learning, Hogwarts, won hands down.

45% of 1,500 voters picked the wizardly school, with the remaining votes going to Grease’s Rydell High, and Shermer High from The Breakfast Club.

But of course, we said goodbye to Hogwarts this year as the final Harry Potter installment, The Deathly Hallows Part 2, swas released in cinemas. The blockbuster is set to become the third highest grossing film of all time… Read more & comment »

To mark the release of the final Harry Potter film, this new documentary for ITV1 will celebrate the most memorable scenes from the most successful series of films in movie history.

Looking back over the past seven films, this is the definitive Harry Potter countdown, with exclusive access to cast members both past and present, who will share their on and off screen memories as well as commenting on their own favourite Harry Potter movie moments.

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Film fans have voted for their best-loved Harry Potter character as the eighth and final instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, opens in cinemas.

Over 8,000 EMPIRE ONLINE www.empireonline.com readers voted for their favourite Potter characters choosing from all the teachers and students of Hogwarts as well as the animals and enemies that the Harry and his friends encounter along the way.

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OK! magazine has a heads up on the newly released Warner Bros featurette which has been made to promote Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

In the special featurette, which is entitled, ‘A Look Back’ we get to see all the most magical bits from the previous Harry Potter films, because of course, all its young stars are now grown ups. Sobs…

See the video after the jump… Read more & comment »

There’s great news for Harry Potter fans today in that there are some new previews of the forthcoming Harry Potter fan site Pottermore…

There’s also been official confirmation that JK Rowling will be delivering new Potter gubbins in electronic formats, with the lady herself saying, “I will be sharing additional information I have been hoarding about the world of Harry Potter.”

Also, when Pottermore launches, we’re promised all manner of goodies such as role playing and gaming modules, but the big news item today are the new previews which were delivered via Twitter in the form of these images… Read more & comment »

JK Rowling, who is of course the author of the hugely successful Harry Potter books, has just launched a website for fans entitled ‘Pottermore’ which you can visit by clicking here.

As fans of the Potter franchise will be aware, Rowling has previously stated that she won’t be writing any more epic Potter tales, so she explained to the Daly Mirror that ‘Pottermore’ is a way for her to “give something back” to her fans.

She said, “I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years, and to bring the stories to a new digital generation… Read more & comment »

Alan Rickman, star of several Harry Potter movies, has written an open letter to express his mixed emotions now that the Harry Potter franchise is ending with the upcoming and final film.

In it, he praises his co-stars, as well as JK Rowling, who of course wrote and created the famous books and the character.

Rickman plays wizard Severus Snape in the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and the letter, published in Empire magazine, tells of his joy at having been involved with the films.

He writes… Read more & comment »