Daniel Radcliffe Signs on for Harry Potter Finale, Ends "Replacement" Rumors

The young British actor Daniel Radcliffe has finalized a deal with Warner Brothers to continue his starring role as the wizard Harry Potter through the two final Potter films. This quells rumors that Radcliffe would be replaced due to his distinctly adult turn in the stage play "Equus."

The play "Equus," written by Peter Schaffer in 1973, is a stark piece with a somewhat pessimistic attitude towards human nature, and includes sexual situations and a strong undercurrent of violence. Daniel Radcliffe is currently appearing in the lead role of troubled 17-year old Alan Strang in a production of the play in London. The character Radcliffe portrays is a young psychiatric patient who is obsessed with horses, and is based on a real life teenager who injured horses in a series of psychotic outbursts.

Through the course of the performance, Radcliffe smokes, swears, and appears fully nude onstage. Speculation has been afloat since the play opened that Radcliffe might be replaced as Harry Potter due to the possible damage his highly sexualized and somewhat controversial "Equus" performance could have on his image as a role model for young fans of the Potter films.

However, those rumors were officially put to rest today when Warner Brothers and a spokesperson for the young actor announced that Radcliffe will appear as the bespectacled wizard in the final two films of the Harry Potter franchise. Both sides told members of the press that Radcliffe's contract has officially been renewed, and the young actor has signed on to star in the upcoming silver screen adaptations of both "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

A spokesperson for Radcliffe's publicist, Vanessa Davies, told reporters that Radcliffe "is very much looking forward to filming." Cameras are expected to begin rolling on the next adventures at Hogwarts as early as September.

Radcliffe's co-stars in the Harry Potter series, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) have not yet officially signed on to appear in "Half-Blood Prince" or "Deathly Hallows." However, both actors have unofficially expressed interest in continuing their roles through the final chapters in the Potter film series, and it is expected that they will appear in the rest of the Potter movies.

The next installment in the Harry Potter franchise to hit the silver screen will be "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which is set to begin its North American theatrical release on July 13^th.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070305/ap_en_mo/people_daniel_radcliffe;_ylt=AmYlM139VLZ2Q11mwuptAQhxFb8C
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1553722/20070302/story.jhtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equus_(play)