Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Movie. Latest news and pictures from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The release date on the third Harry Potter film is currently set as June 4th 2004, so it will be the next major event in the Potter phenomenon. As the films proceed it will be interesting to see how the popularity of the series stands up to the ravages of time, as fads have a notoriously short shelf life. This film is looking good, with it's principal stars maturing, hopefully building on their previous experiences. The full cast remains as high quality as ever, with Richard Harris' role as Dumbledore being filled by Michael Gambon following Harris' tragic death. New additions to the cast are Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, played by Gary Oldman and David Thewlis respectively. With the director of the first two Harry Potter movies Chris Columbus being replaced by Alfonso Cuaron the new film should have a significantly different slant.

As for the visual effects, the team apparently spent 8 months getting the Dementors spot on and Hogsmead was designed very much as a wizarding village, with a winding main street full of shops like Honeydukes', described as floor to ceiling psychedelia. We await the film's arrival with eager anticipation.