In an interview with The Sunday Mail about the fourth Harry Potter film, Mike Newell said Warner Bros. "will have to pull out its big wallet. I think of myself as being really lucky. I'm going to make the most expensive film there has ever been. These things are not like ordinary films they are world events."
Newell said the job of directing a Harry Potter film carries huge responsibilities. "I have millions of 10-year-olds who must not be disappointed. Making Harry Potter is like being President of Brazil. It is a colossal undertaking."
He adds that finding an 8 ft tall French woman to play Hagrid's love interest, Madame Maxime, is giving him a major headache. "We are casting right now. I've been in Paris, looking for giant women and French schoolgirls."
The movie has a budget of £170 million and is scheduled for release in 2005.
Rowan Atkinson's agent has spoken to Newsround Online denying rumours that he is set to play Lord Voldemort, or any other role, in the Harry Potter films.
Warner Bros. insiders also say that no casting decisions have been made yet.
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