You can put away the specs for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, because despite earlier news that both films of the last chapter (or not) would be in 3D, Warner Bros. is having to scrap those plans. In a statement, the studio revealed that when the film arrives in theaters on Nov.
19, it will be in 2D, playing both conventional theaters and IMAX,
but that “we will not have a completed 3D version of the film
within our release date window. Despite everyone’s best efforts, we were
unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest
standards of quality. We do not want to disappoint fans who have
long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary
journey.”
So yeah, that’s a bit of something different, a film going from 3D to 2D instead of the other way around. I saw Clash of the Titans on DVD rather than in theatres. But if the post production 3D conversion was as horrendous as I’ve heard, then I think it’s definitely a smart move on the part of the Warners. The Potter films have been generally well received for nearly a decade now and having the series not end in a hail of “the film was good, but that shitty 3D conversion…” reviews is definitely the way to go. If they can get it right by Part 2, then fine. But nice to see that despite the current popular 3D trend, a studio isn’t trying to push bad 3D when it’s not ready.