When news of a film adaptation of JK Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was first made official in the spring of 2000, fans around the world started speculating about, well, everything. Who would play the lead role? Where would stand in for Hogwarts? Who would direct the pic?
With so much interest invested in the film makers' every decision, it's hardly surprising the production didn't go smoothly.
The first problem was finding a suitable director. Overawed by the book's massive fan base, Steven Spielberg pulled out of the project in the first round, worried that he wouldn't be able to meet fans' expectations. Other directors, like Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs") and Rob Reiner ("Stand By Me"), were rumoured to be considering the job, but it was Chris Columbus, who ultimately teamed up with Master Potter.
News of Columbus's involvement worried many fans, who thought "Harry" was about to be turned into "Home Alone" with magic spells. Warner Bros. assured people that, apart from changing the title to "...the Sorcerer's Stone" in the US, "Harry Potter" would remain quintessentially British, and that filming would take place in England with British actors. So, no Haley Joel Osment in the title role but 12-year-old Brit Daniel Radcliffe.
Finding suitable locations for JK Rowling's vision wasn't an easy task, though. Hogwarts proved particularly difficult, and scouts toured Harrow and Oxford in search of buildings that possessed the right kind of magical architecture. Gloucester Cathedral was used for some of the location shots, but the film makers were so wary of offending Christian groups, they covered up all of the cathedral's religious icons (some still complained, though).
Controversy was never far away. Coca-Cola's 拢100million purchase of the global marketing rights angered many fans and health experts. Meanwhile, occultists started to complain that "Harry Potter" was inaccurate - apparently all witches ride their broomsticks with the brush end facing forwards! Clear proof that not even young Harry can please all of the people all of the time.
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