No Pottering With Potter

It's fair to say that movie fans were more than a little concerned when Warner Bros chose Chris Columbus - he of Stepmom and Home Alone 2 fame - to helm the upcoming Harry Potter series. How was the man who put Robin Williams in first a dress and then a robot suit, going to treat a tome whose fans are fanatical to say the least? It's a issue that Columbus himself admits to in an interview this week with USA Today. "People have been skeptical," says the director. "They'd say, 'Chris Columbus, my God, is he going to turn it into Home Alone?' I promise, no! To make this film, you have to be a fan. These books are incredibly imaginative, classic stories. Why would you need to toy with that?" Why indeed? Columbus began the task of taking Harry Potter to the big screen on a good note, allaying many fans' fears by bringing on board an all-British cast. And while no-one doubts that the thespy talents of Maggie Smith and Richard Harris will add to the mix, it's the child stars that will make or break this movie - particularly Daniel Radcliffe in the title role "He's got a sense of wisdom and intelligence and a real sort of haunted quality that Harry Potter has," says Columbus of Radcliffe. "We don't want people to think we've turned it into this mind-numbingly dark experience, but we've kept the edginess and moodiness of the books, as well as the magic and fun,"