Apparently the final fight between Harry and Voldemort has been…embellished a bit.

The Leaky Cauldron, as usual, has links to high-quality QuickTime, Windows Media, Flash and iPod-ready videos.

Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Trailer Online is a post from Fantasy Folder

The film is currently scheduled for a theatrical release on December 16th of this year. It’s IMDB page can be found here.

Sherlock Holmes Sequel Gets Title, Release Date is a post from Fantasy Folder

The upcoming film will be called The Dark Knight Rises, and will feature Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (Catwoman’s alter ego) and Tom Hardy as Bane. Christian Bale will return as Batman/Wayne.

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

The Dark Knight Rises is currently set to be released on July 20, 2012.

Warner Brothers Casts Anne Hathaway in “The Dark Knight Rises” is a post from Fantasy Folder

Big news! The Merlin movie project has moved to a fabulous new studio: Warner Brothers. After several years at Paramount (surviving three management changes at the studio), The Lost Years of Merlin is now at WB (the same studio that has given us, in recent years, a series of films about another young wizard named Harry).

I’m delighted to tell you that there is tremendous enthusiasm for this project at the studio, from creative executives through top management. These are wonderful people — folks who share my passion for Merlin, and who see the potential power of this saga as a movie.

The script has been written by Simon Kinberg, the screenwriter behind the Sherlock Holmes film with Robert Downey Junior and X-Men 3.

The Hollywood process is excruciatingly slow and frustrating, but T. A. Barron seems dedicated to ensuring that his series will one day make it to the big screen.

“The Lost Years of Merlin” Movie Moves to Warner Brothers is a post from Fantasy Folder

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, like its book counterpart, is far different from the rest of the series. Instead of spending their time at Hogwarts puzzling out Voldemort’s latest plot, Harry, Ron and Hermione spend the duration of the film on the run. The Death Eaters have taken over the Ministry of Magic and have imposed a regime reminiscent of Nazi Germany. The overall atmosphere is bleak, with the sense that danger is just over the horizon.

The three’s mission is to find and destroy the horcruxes keeping Lord Voldemort alive, and eventually defeat him. Of course, Voldemort has his own magical artifact to find, one of the mysterious Deathly Hallows.

Overall I liked the film. They did a good job at streamlining the somewhat unwieldy story that Rowling penned. The infamous camping scenes were pruned and tweaked to make their viewing bearable, and some details that were largely unimportant to the plot (such as Dumbledore’s history) were glossed over. I feel that the changes that were made were for the better, though they might disappoint some of the book purists.

That said, I am even more glad in retrospect that Warner Brothers decided to split the story into two movies. It would have been impossible to do the book justice in one.

One of my favorite scenes was the part where Harry and company sneak into the Ministry undercover to find a horcrux that they suspect is there. I won’t spoil the pure awesomeness of it for you, but I think the movie (and book) would have even better with more along those lines. (Harry conducting covert raids on the corrupted Ministry.) But that would have made for an even longer, less movie-suited story.

Long-time Harry Potter fans like myself will see this movie no matter what, so my opinion probably isn’t too important to you. Casual observers (those who didn’t read the books) will enjoy the movie too, though.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be released on July 15, 2011.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Review is a post from Fantasy Folder

They have also posted wallpapers for the movie on their Muggle Hub site.

Warner Brothers Launches HP7 Soundtrack Site, Posts Wallpapers is a post from Fantasy Folder

The Hobbit will begin filming this coming February, and will be directed by Peter Jackson.

Martin Freeman Cast as Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” is a post from Fantasy Folder

The Leaky Cauldron has already rounded up links to various video formats (FLV, WMV, MOV, M4V) released directly by Warner Brothers. Head over there if you wish to put the video on your iPod or download a high-definition copy.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) Theatrical Trailer is a post from Fantasy Folder

• QuickTime
• QuickTime HD (1080p)
• Windows Media (1080p HD)
• Flash
• iPod

It’s about two minutes long and shows scenes from both parts one and two of the movie. Part one will be released on November 19, 2010 and the second part will be available the following July.

Thanks to HPANA for the video links.

Full Deathly Hallows Trailer Now Online is a post from Fantasy Folder

Deadline.com is reporting that Peter Jackson, executive producer of The Hobbit and director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is stepping in to fill the role of director. (Lord of the Rings fans have been hoping this would be the case.) A contract is being negotiated with Warner Brothers.

Jackson seemed the obvious person to take his place as the director of the JRR Tolkien novel, particularly to keep those release dates on track. While he has been engaged with Steven Spielberg on the Tin Tin films, Jackson has been a creative partner with del Toro from the beginning. He certainly knows the terrain better than anyone alive, having shot three installments of The Lord of the Rings during a single production stint.

Peter Jackson to Replace Del Toro as Director of “The Hobbit” is a post from Fantasy Folder