New Harry Potter Screenwriter Tells All

Posted on April 12, 2007

There have been numerous rumors swirling around the set of the next Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Some said that the new screenwriter hated the cuts he was forced to make in the script, that Jo Rowling hated the script so much that she demanded to join the screenwrting team and so on. Apparently none of it was true. In an interview with The Leaky Cauldron, Michael Goldenberg, sets the record straight.

Melissa Anelli of The Leaky Cauldron: One of the things in this report said that Jo had mentioned that there would be some cuts that would come back to haunt the film makers in later films. I know that wasn't true, but what was the feeling about elements that you had to keep to serve the rest of the films? Did they ever become an encumbrance?
Michael Goldenberg: Not at all. In fact, as I said, Jo couldn't have been more supportive and permissive. She gave free rein. It was quite the opposite. The last time I saw her, I was sort of begging her for notes and saying, "Please! If there's anything, I would love to hear your thoughts on this or that!" And she did, finally, come through with a few, all of which I think were immediately put into the script. Tiny little things, for the most part. But as I said, we could not have asked for more in terms of a collaborator.
MA: It sounds almost as if she's battling some instincts to make suggestions so that she didn't encumber your process.
MG: I think so. And I think there was respect for that. I wouldn't speak for her, but I think she trusts that, having met us, that we're all - we really do want to make a movie that she's thrilled with. I mean, nobody wants that more than we do. So, it almost didn't need to be said, you know? It's just the baseline we're all starting from.

What a joyous thing for a writer: to have the screenwriters begging you to give some input into the script because they all just want to make you happy. Read the whole interview here.