If you listen very carefully you can almost hear all the Muggles around the world crying right now because this Friday, July 15^th marks the end of an era for Harry Potter fans with the release of the final installment of the decade long film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. The series began in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and has lasted almost a decade, producing eight films in total, which to date have earned over $6 billion worldwide and become one of the most beloved franchises in movie history.

One of the many talented people who had a hand in making this possible is writer/director/producer Chris Columbus who directed the first film, as well as its sequel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Columbus was a veteran filmmaker in his own right long before he took on J.K. Rowling’s epic, having penned such classics as Gremlins, and The Goonies, as well as directing a string of extremely successful films including Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire. While Columbus left the series after producing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he will always hold an important place in the hearts of Potter fans as he is the man responsible for first bringing “the boy who lived” to the silver screen.

Over the weekend I had an opportunity to speak with Chris Columbus while he was out promoting his latest producing effort The Help, which is also based on a popular novel and opens in theaters on August 10^th. Since we are on the eve of the opening of the final Harry Potter movie, I thought it would only be fitting to ask Columbus to reflect back on his time with the franchise and discuss how he feels about the series now that it is coming to an end.

Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity might be spurring the hottest catfight known to man; Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively are both vying for the female lead in the director's sci-fi thriller, reports the Heat Vision Blog, which undoubtedly creates all sorts of naughty visions in the heads of fanboys.