Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón directed the third Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This movie is often a fan favorite. However, Cuarón admitted he was puzzled when offered the job initially.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry and his friends face danger in their third year at Hogwarts when a dangerous prisoner escapes from the wizard prison Azkaban. Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, let someone else take over for this third movie. The studio Warner Bros. decided Cuarón should direct it, but he felt unsure.
Cuarón Unfamiliar with Harry Potter
In an interview celebrating the movie’s 20th anniversary, Cuarón said he was not very familiar with the Harry Potter world when offered the directing job. He talked to friend and fellow director Guillermo del Toro, who advised him to learn more about the magical world of Harry Potter.
“I was confused because I didn’t know anything about it,” Cuarón admitted. “I asked Guillermo’s advice, and he basically called me an arrogant jerk in Spanish for not being familiar with Harry Potter.”
Producer Saw Cuarón as Perfect Choice
However, Harry Potter producer David Heyman thought Cuarón was the ideal director choice. Heyman loved Cuarón’s previous film Y Tu Mamá También and felt he could bring a fresh, contemporary perspective to Prisoner of Azkaban.
“Azkaban was about the first moments of being a teenager, which connected to the themes of Y Tu Mamá También about the end of teenage years,” Heyman explained. “I thought Cuarón could make the movie feel more modern with his filmmaking skills.”
Fan Favorite But Lower Box Office
While all the Harry Potter films were hits, Prisoner of Azkaban holds a special place for many fans despite making less at the box office than the others. With a $130 million budget, it made $249.7 million domestically and $783.2 million globally, earning over six times its budget back. Critics rated it 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.