“Deathly Hallows” Won’t Be in 3D

Call it a small victory for conventional films and those of us who don’t care for 3-D.

Warner Brothers announced last week that the first half of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” won’t be in 3-D. The film was in the process of being converted to 3-D, but the studio ran out of time to get it properly converted. That includes a 3-D IMAX version.

However, there will be time to finish the conversion for the second part of the film, which opens next year.

Here’s the press-release from Warner Brothers:

Warner Bros Pictures has made the decision to release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 1 in 2D, in both conventional and IMAX theaters, as we will not have a completed 3D version of the film within our release date window. Despite everyone’s best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality. We do not want to disappoint fans who have long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010 as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate Harry Potter experience.

Producer David Heyman said, “For 10 years, we have worked alongside Alan Horn and the studio, whose priority has always been to preserve the integrity of Jo Rowling’s books as we have adapted them to the screen, and this decision reflects that commitment.”

Director David Yates continued, “This decision, which we completely support, underscores the fact that Warner Bros. has always put quality first.”

As scheduled, on July 15, 2011, we will deliver to conventional and IMAX theaters our final installment of the film franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 2, in both 2D and 3D formats.