Harry Potter Comes Alive

So, guys: which Doo-Dahs will make the final cut? "I can't talk about that," says Heyman. Though, he adds: "There are certain things that will be a surprise that aren't fully evolved in the book. You think about Voldemort. You look at what happens in the end. It's so deus ex machina. But hopefully we touched on all that is good." Promises Columbus: "People will not miss anything. We preserved 95 percent of the big moments."

At least he's got a helluva DVD.

The movie may not be finished, but the witching hour is already upon us. American pop culture is about to give itself over to Harry Potter. There have already been billboards, trailers, and a cheesy Sears commercial. Soon there will be videogames, toys, and a mega-million-dollar marketing campaign from Coca-Cola. (Don't look for Harry to be chugging a Sprite; Warner Bros. has apparently honored Rowling's wish that her wizard not be used as a shill.)

But Stateside Pottermania will pale compared with what's going to happen when the film is released simultaneously in England, which is about to transfigure itself into Ye Olde Tourist Trappe. Merchandise already clogs bookstores, supermarkets, and corner shops. Some shooting sites—including Alnwick, which hung a "HARRY POTTER FILM SHOT HERE" banner at its front door until Warner forced them to take it down—have already been blaring their participation. The British Tourist Authority is even preparing a map of the key locations, hoping to bring the magic back to an industry recently broadsided by foot-and-mouth fears and an overstrong currency. "We are hoping it will bring people to the area," says Steve Manion, Alnwick's director of education and tourism. "We're already getting a lot of families visiting because of the film."

More immediately, AOL Time Warner needs Stone to be a hit; Warner's 2001 lineup has yet to produce a $100 million grosser, and thanks to disappointments ranging from A.I. to Osmosis Jones, the studio has had little to brag about. "They're going to have to generate significant returns from Harry Potter, Ocean's 11, and [New Line's] The Lord of the Rings," says UBS Warburg media research analyst Christopher Dixon.

There's little doubt that Stone will be an international blockbuster. The question really is, What happens if fans don't like it? The sequel is already in preproduction, and conventional wisdom holds that the success of the first two will determine whether Warner Bros. goes forward with the rest. Kloves has just finalized his deal to adapt the third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but Columbus hasn't committed to anything beyond Secrets. Yet if everything goes as expected, there's a good chance that the entire team will stick with the franchise through the fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (which is so long there's talk it might be made into two movies). "It's my favorite," says Kloves. "To me, it's the book. So when you ask me do I want to continue—I'm dying to write book 4."

Back at Gloucester, a guide leads three kids, two parents, and a journalist on a tour. He looks about 70 years old—stooped and slow-moving. The little red ribbon on his blazer marks him as an expert. He has enthusiastic hands. "That there," he says, waggling a finger toward the cloisters, "was Hogwarts! That hallway there! It was terribly exciting."

The kids ooh. The parents ooh. Heck, the journalist oohs. And the guide stops and turns to his group and recalls the one thing that is so easily lost in this swirl of billion-dollar commerce and flashy Hollywood stars:

"They are just wonderful stories," he smiles. "Aren't they?"

(Additional reporting by Scott Brown and Karen Valby)