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Warner Bros. originally wanted to bring HARRY POTTER to the screen as a series of computer animated movies or, perhaps, as a live action film based on several J.K. Rowling novels.

The studio’s dilemma was that child actors age quickly. Filming sequels over a period of years would likely mean re-casting older child actors in the key roles. When Rowling vetoed both ideas, WB decided to shoot the eight HP films back-to-back, which reduced production time and allowed the same young stars to be in every movie.

The franchise’s first episode, known in the U.S. as HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, was HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE elsewhere. Rowling’s American publisher, Scholastic, felt U.S. readers didn’t know about the “Philosopher’s Stone,” which can turn metal into gold and create immortality potions. So they changed the title and all references to it in the book to SORCERER’S STONE.

It was more challenging for the filmmakers. They had to shoot every scene twice when someone referred to “Philosopher’s Stone” so the actor could say “Sorcerer’s Stone” in an alternate take. Rowling’s said she’s sorry she agreed to a title change, but that as a fledgling author back in 1997 she  didn’t have much leverage to disagree.

The resulting 2001 fantasy movie was directed by Chris Columbus (HOME ALONE) and produced by David Heyman (GRAVITY) from a screenplay by Steve Kloves (THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS). Daniel Radcliffe stars as Harry Potter with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley & Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. In STONE, it’s Harry’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry where he discovers he’s a wizard and starts his wizardly education.

In 1997 Heyman was hunting for a children’s book he could produce through his Heyday Films. It was going to be Diana Wynne Jones’s THE OGRE DOWNSTAIRS, but that didn’t work out and Heyman’s assistant told him about PHILOSOPHER’S STONE. Heyman pitched it to WB and two years later the studio reportedly paid Rowling £1M — about $1.7M then — for the screen rights to her first four HP novels.

At first, it looked like Steven Spielberg would be directing, but he passed. Spielberg reportedly had in mind an animated movie with Haley Joel Osment (THE SIXTH SENSE) voicing Harry or, possibly, a film with story elements from multiple Rowling novels. Heyman’s recalled that Spielberg choose to direct A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Spielberg’s said he decided to spend more time with his family.

Things worked out very well anyway! After premiering in London Nov. 4, 2001, STONE was a storybook success with $1B in worldwide grosses on a budget of $125M.