Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. It is based on the 2005 novel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. The film follows Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts as he finds a mysterious textbook, falls in love, and attempts to retrieve a memory that holds the key to Lord Voldemort's downfall.
Filming began on 24 September 2007, leading to the film's worldwide cinematic release on 15 July 2009. With an estimated budget of $250 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made and the most expensive film in the Harry Potter film series.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in 2D cinemas and IMAX formats in the United Kingdom and United States on 15 July 2009, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was widely acclaimed by critics, with praise for the visual effects, character development, performances, darker tone, and faithfulness to the source material. The film was a major box office success, grossing $941 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2009. It also grossed $394 million worldwide during its opening, which made it the highest worldwide five-day opening at the time. The film was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design and Best Special Visual Effects. It was followed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in 2010.
Plot
Lord Voldemort tightens his grip on the wizarding and Muggle worlds: his Death Eaters kidnap wandmaker Ollivander and destroy the Millennium Bridge. With Lucius Malfoy incarcerated in Azkaban, Voldemort chooses his son, Draco Malfoy, to carry out a secret mission at Hogwarts. Draco's mother, Narcissa, and aunt Bellatrix Lestrange seek out Severus Snape, who claims he is a spy in the Order of the Phoenix. Snape makes an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa to protect Draco and fulfill his task.
Harry Potter accompanies Albus Dumbledore to persuade former Potions professor Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts. At the Burrow, Harry reunites with his best friends, Ron and Hermione. In Diagon Alley, they see Draco and Narcissa, and follow them into Knockturn Alley. The pair meet with Death Eaters, including the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. When Harry believes Draco is now a Death Eater, Ron and Hermione are skeptical.
At Hogwarts, Harry discovers that his used Potions textbook is filled with notes and spells, added by the Half-Blood Prince. Using it, Harry excels in class, impressing Slughorn, who awards him a luck potion. Ron makes the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Keeper and begins dating Lavender Brown, upsetting Hermione, who harbours feelings for him. Harry consoles Hermione while acknowledging his own feelings for Ginny Weasley. Harry spends Christmas with the Weasleys. His suspicions about Draco are dismissed by the Order, but Arthur Weasley reveals that the Malfoys may be interested in a Vanishing Cabinet. Bellatrix and Greyback attack the Burrow in which Bellatrix boasts about killing Sirius Black.
At Hogwarts, Dumbledore asks Harry to retrieve Slughorn's memory of a young Voldemort; Slughorn has resisted giving an accurate memory. After Ron accidentally ingests a love potion intended for Harry, Harry takes him to Slughorn for a cure. After curing Ron, Slughorn offers Harry and Ron mead. Ron is poisoned after drinking it, and while recovering in the infirmary, he murmurs Hermione's name, causing Lavender to end their relationship. Harry confronts Draco about the poisoned mead, and also a cursed necklace that nearly killed Katie Bell. Harry and Draco duel, and Harry uses one of the Half-Blood Prince's curses that severely injures Malfoy, and he is only saved by Snape. Fearing the book contains Dark Magic, Ginny persuades Harry to hide it in the Room of Requirement, where they share their first kiss.
Harry uses his luck potion to convince the reluctant Slughorn to surrender the memory Dumbledore needs. Viewing it in the Pensieve, Dumbledore and Harry learn Voldemort sought information about Horcruxes, magical objects containing pieces of a wizard's soul for immortality. Dumbledore believes Voldemort divided his soul into six Horcruxes, two of which have been destroyed: Tom Riddle's diary and Marvolo Gaunt's ring. They travel to a cave where Harry aids Dumbledore in drinking a potion that hides another Horcrux: Slytherin's locket.
A weakened Dumbledore apparates them back to Hogwarts, where Bellatrix, Greyback, and the other Death Eaters have entered through the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement that Draco has secretly connected to Knockturn Alley. As Harry hides, Draco appears and disarms Dumbledore, revealing that Voldemort chose him to kill Dumbledore. Draco hesitates; Snape arrives and kills Dumbledore with the Killing Curse. As the Death Eaters escape, Harry attacks Snape, and he reveals to Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince.
As Hogwarts mourns Dumbledore's death, Harry tells Ron and Hermione that the locket is fake and contains a message from "R.A.B.", who stole the real Horcrux and intended to destroy it. The trio agrees to abandon their final year at Hogwarts, vowing to find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes.
Cast
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter: A 16-year-old British wizard who now enters his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley: One of Harry's two best friends Emma Watson as Hermione Granger: One of Harry's two best friends Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange: One of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters and Draco Malfoy's aunt Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn: The newly appointed Potions master who had held the position before Severus Snape Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid: The Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick: The Charms master and head of Ravenclaw Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy: Harry's rival and recipient of Voldemort's secret mission Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore: The headmaster of Hogwarts Alan Rickman as Severus Snape: The former Potions master, current Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and head of Slytherin Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall: The Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher, deputy headmistress and head of Gryffindor Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew: The Death Eater who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort; Pettigrew has no lines in this film, but appears as a servant at Snape's house David Thewlis as Remus Lupin: A member of the Order of the Phoenix and Harry's ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Julie Walters as Molly Weasley: The Weasley matriarch and a mother figure to Harry
Gemma Jones returned to the cast as Hogwarts' matron, Poppy Pomfrey. Mark Williams plays Molly's husband, Arthur, who is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, while Natalia Tena plays fellow member Nymphadora Tonks. James and Oliver Phelps play Ron's siblings Fred and George and Bonnie Wright plays their sister and Harry's love interest, Ginny, while Devon Murray, Alfred Enoch and Matthew Lewis play Gryffindor students Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom. Evanna Lynch plays Ravenclaw student Luna Lovegood. Katie Leung plays Ravenclaw student Cho Chang (who was Harry's former love interest). Jamie Waylett and Joshua Herdman play Slytherin students Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Jessie Cave, Anna Shaffer and Freddie Stroma also play Gryffindor students Lavender Brown, Romilda Vane and Cormac McLaggen respectively, while Rob Knox plays Ravenclaw Marcus Belby. Helen McCrory plays Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother and Bellatrix's sister, while Dave Legeno plays werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Hero Fiennes Tiffin portrayed 11-year-old Tom Riddle, with Frank Dillane playing the 16-year-old version of him. David Bradley plays Hogwarts caretaker, Argus Filch. Louis Cordice and Scarlett Byrne play Slytherin students, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson.
Production
Development and casting Before David Yates was officially chosen to direct the film, many directors had expressed an interest in taking the helm. Alfonso Cuarón, the director of Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), stated he "would love to have the opportunity" to return. Goblet of Fire (2005) director Mike Newell declined a spot to direct Order of the Phoenix (2007), and was not approached for this film. Guillermo del Toro turned down the chance to direct the film in order to direct Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). Terry Gilliam was Rowling's personal choice to direct Philosopher's Stone (2001). When asked whether he would consider directing a later film, Gilliam said, "Warner Bros. had their chance the first time around, and they blew it." Yates was still working on Order of the Phoenix when he was approached to direct Half-Blood Prince. The producers were happy with his direction, and he was asked to start pre-production during the former's marketing.
Radcliffe and Grint were initially hesitant to continue, but agreed to reprise their roles. Emma Watson considered not returning for the film, citing fear of being typecast, but eventually decided that "the pluses outweighed the minuses" and could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione. Nicholas Hooper returned to compose the score; he included a reworking of John Williams's "Hedwig's Theme", which has recurred in all films. Other members like costume designer Jany Temime, visual effects supervisor Tim Burke, creature and make-up effects designer Nick Dudman, and special effects supervisor John Richardson continued for this film. Yates and Heyman have noted that some of the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) influenced the script of Half-Blood Prince.
Christian Coulson, who played the young Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets (2002), expressed interest in returning for the role in flashback sequences; but Yates responded that Coulson was too old (nearing 30) to be playing the role. Thomas James Longley was the original choice to take on the role, but Riddle was ultimately played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as a child and Frank Dillane as a teenager. Jamie Campbell Bower was in talks to portray the teenage Riddle before Dillane was cast; he would later portray a young Gellert Grindelwald in Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). Helen McCrory appears as Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother and younger sister of Bellatrix. McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix in Order of the Phoenix, but had to drop out due to pregnancy. Naomi Watts was previously reported as having accepted the role, only for it to be denied by her agency.
Both Clémence Poésy and Chris Rankin, who had played Fleur Delacour and Percy Weasley, respectively, were interested in returning, but did not appear in the film. After Bill Nighy expressed an interest in appearing, Yates confirmed that Nighy would be his first choice for the role of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour's character was ultimately cut from the film, but Nighy appeared in his role in Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Bob Hoskins auditioned for the role of Horace Slughorn, but Jim Broadbent ultimately secured the part. Warner Bros. and MSN also ran an online Order of the Phoenix quiz, with the prize being a walk-on part in Half-Blood Prince.
Sets