LOS ANGELES, California - "As the audience of the Harry Potter movies and books has matured, it has become apparent that they are looking for a darker, seedier, more challenging film," said Alfonso Cuaron. Cuaron was tapped to direct the fifth Potter film due in part to the tone he carried through the 2001 coming-of-age film "Y Tu Mama Tambien". The film -- tentatively titled "HP5: Three Funerals and a Reanimation" -- is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2006.

"The Potter books have run their silverscreen course." -- Roger Ebert, film critic

"The film opens with a teenage Harry attending the funeral of Hogwarts alumnus, Meenor Lodgpie," explained screenplay writer Herman Vernon, "He spends some time dealing with his feelings of detachment over the death of someone he hardly knows, and finally determines to try to resurrect the fallen warlock. This, of course, leads to plenty of trouble for Harry and the school. I won't go into it naturally, spoil the story and all that, but it should be fun and provocative at the same time."

"It sounds like a long and winding way of telling us that the Potter books have run their silverscreen course," said film critic Roger Ebert, "Which is understandable given the great diversion the two prior films have taken from the course laid down by [the author] Rowling. They've filmed themselves into a corner and now they hope to magically levitate themselves out of it. They're going to have reach pretty far into the hat to pull that particular rabbit out."

Telling is the fact that the the previous Potter actors have all turned down offers to reprise their roles for the movie. "It's a very stupid script," said child actor Daniel 'Harry Potter' Radcliffe, "If I took the part, my agent said it would be a stain on my C.V. that would never wash off. He said it would be like playing in a 'Return to Gilligan's Island' remake, whatever that is."

With a vastly smaller budget, little studio support, and an unknown cast, the new film may have difficulty finding an audience even if it gets made. "They can try the Indy channels, sometimes they'll take a chance on a longshot," said Sal Wahlberg, media consultant, "But even there this'll be a fight to the finish. Going straight to DVD and praying to get into the boxed-set is probably their best bet."
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