Daniel Radcliffe has a bit of a dilemma: he stars in both “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and as Harry Potter in the final installment of the extraordinarily successful series of Potter films, with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2″ scheduled to premiere July 7, at London’s Trafalgar Square.
“How To Succeed” started previews on Feb. 26 and runs through Nov. 6, and Warner Bros. feel that this leaves little room for Radcliffe to be available to promote “Harry Potter”. When “How To Succeed” producers refused to release Radcliffe in order to accomodate the appearances Warner Bros. scheduled, the studio was forced to buy out the theater for the performances he would miss.
A source at the studio revealed, “Warner Bros. is furious that Radcliffe committed to Broadway when he should be promoting ‘Harry Potter.’ This is the final film, so it’s a big deal. A grand world premiere is being planned as well as a US premiere and a press tour. They absolutely couldn’t do it without their big star. But the theater producers dug their heels in and said they wouldn’t release Radcliffe unless Warner bought out the entire theater for the nights they need him. Studio bosses are furious, but they have no choice but to pay up for five nights costing over $500,000.”
