Variety reported in April that Rowling’s best stand-alone work, The Christmas Pig, was being adapted for film. “Variety understands the project is in a very early stage of development in-house [by Bronte Studios] and a production company has not yet been attached.”

There hasn’t been any news since that I know of. Variety hinted in April that the adaptation would be an animated film rather than live-action: “The Christmas Pig was first published in 2021 with illustrations by Jim Field. At the time of publication, Swift Films made a series of promotional videos for the project.” It makes sense that it would be a cartoon, except I cannot recall a Bronte Studios animated project; I think the Variety hint is that Bronte Studios will “develop” the adaptation and then out-source it to Swift Films.

I confess to scratching my head about Bronte Studios being involved with even just a supervisory role in Christmas Pig’s adaptation to a movie when they have taken on the job of re-inventing the Hogwarts Saga for the television screen.

I confess, too, both to real excitement about the world having an alternative to the usual annual Christmas specials, be it the variety shows, parades, or animated films, an option with some real heft to it — and to real disappointment that the adaptation is being made. I have been looking forward very much to reading this book to my grandchildren; the delight I had with their parents when I read the Harry Potter novels aloud to them for the first time and saw the story unfolding in the wonder-filled imaginations may be a pleasure I do not have with the grandkids if they watch the cartoon version first.

Oh, well! I’m looking forward to news about this project, even if I elect in the end not to watch the movie myself. Let me know if you’ve heard about any developments!

Goblet of Fire Chapter 19: The Hungarian Horntail

1. True or False: Harry is angry at all the snide remarks that result from Rita Skeeter’s article on him in the Daily Prophet, causing him to yell at Cho Chang who was only pointing out he dropped his quill.
2. Who can see through Invisibility Cloaks?
3. The Creevy brothers’ attempts to modify POTTER STINKS badges have only made them say what?
4. Who bumps into Harry in the wood near the dragon enclosure?
5. In which Hogsmeade shop does Hagrid tell Harry to met him to see the dragons?
6. Hermione is worried that if Harry goes to see Hagrid, he’ll miss what?
7. When Harry and Hagrid set off into the forest, where do they stop first?
8. What four breeds of dragon are in the enclosure?
9. True or False: According to Charlie Weasley, his mother is ‘having kittens’ with worry about Harry, especially after reading Rita Skeeter’s article.
10. What is the password back into Gryffindor Tower?

For Your Reflection and Discussion: What is the date of Harry’s Goblet of Fire trip into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid and his conversation with Sirius Black in the Gryffindor Common Room? What time does Sirius set for their conversation and how does this time and the date, not to mention the alliterative chapter title, reflect Rowling’s book and series structural artistry?

Quiz answers after the jump! [Read more…]

“The purest stroke of inspiration I’d ever had in my life.”

But where did it come from? What crisis in her unconscious mind or ‘Lake’ spoke to her so clearly?

More anon! Transcript available here.

In keeping with this month’s seeming theme of retro interview-review, here is a classic back and forth between a CBC reporter and J. K. Rowling in 2000 on a promotion tour for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Tomorrow? An ad hoc transcript and some thoughts. See you then!

Strikelgangers: A Guest Post by Daniel Williams

          In How Harry Cast His Spell, our dear Hogwarts Professor wrote a chapter entitled “one person, two natures.”  In this chapter he introduces the idea of “doppelgangers” in the Harry books. He sets up this paradigm at the Macro level—Slytherin vs Gryffindor, for example, and at the micro level—i.e. Ron and Hermione. 

The Strike series shares this thematic DNA. 

Strike and Lucy’s Parental Figures.

Strike and his sister Lucy grew up together being pulled between 2 worlds.  Their mother, Leda did her best to re-write Pamela Des Barres I’m with the Band.  She was referred to as a “super-groupie.”  She was impetuous.  She was flighty.  She was anything but conventional.  She refused to have anything resembling roots.  She also died of a heroin overdose in a drug den.

Since their mother was such a chaotic figure in their lives, her diametric opposition were Stirke and Lucy’s Aunt Joan and Uncle Ted.  These staunch pillars of stability were able to overcome Leda’s flightiness to make very discernible imprints on the kids.  Lucy is every bit the mother figure that Mrs. Weasley is.  Strike himself joined the Army—no doubt causing his counter-culture mother to roll in her grave.  He is also described as being “staunchly tidy.”

The Robin Axis.

          In many ways, Robin is the spiritual cousin to Harry.  She too is caught between two worlds, even if those worlds are abstractions. Robin is in a long term relationship with the “unimaginative” Matthew.  Matthew bears more than a passing resemblance to the Percy we suffer through in Order of the Phoenix.  He is much more concerned about what his promotion prospects say about him than if he happens to actually enjoy his work.  In Silkworm, while having drink with Strike, Matthew’s “every sentence was angled, like a mirror to cast [Matthew] in the most possible light.” He is the very definition of extrinsic motivation.  Even when Robin catches her husband in infidelity, one of his initial horrors is that his work prospects might be endangered.  Strike refers to him as “a twat.” [Read more…]