In 2007, the fifth "Harry Potter" film ran the boy wizard through a sinister gauntlet of horror-genre trials and political-thriller-style troubles. But when MTV News went on an exclusive visit to the set of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," we learned that the sixth movie in the series has taken a distinctly different approach.
"I think this film strikes more of a balance between the comedy and the darkness," Daniel Radcliffe said in our sneak-peek video segment, which aired Saturday night (February 21) as part of MTV's movie bonanza "Spoilers."
Director David Yates, who also helmed "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," drew an even starker contrast. "We got all the angst out of the way in [film] five," he told us. "Now we're just having a bit of a laugh."
So there will be jokes. There will also be teenage hanky-panky. "Ron gets a girlfriend in this one!" declared Rupert Grint of the progressively less nerdy character he has portrayed for nearly a decade.
The girlfriend in question is Lavender Brown, a fellow Hogwarts student who nicknames Ron "Won-Won" and will be played by newcomer Jessie Cave. "The main kissing scene, where we first kiss, that was done on my third day," said the London-born actress. "So I was slightly bewildered ... And it was kind of a party scene, so it was so, so scary."
Um, make-out sessions? Party scenes? This is still the fantasy story of a schoolboy fighting the forces of evil, right? Worry not, all you "Potter"-philes: The sixth film will be nothing like any of the three "High School Musical" flicks. Yates has promised to deliver plenty of action-packed wizard battles and — spoiler alert! — one adrenaline-pumping scene that might take even hard-core fans by surprise.
"We've also introduced a sequence that wasn't in the book but which we felt we needed — Death Eaters attacking the Weasleys' home where Harry and Ginny are kind of having to defend themselves," Yates revealed. And it's quite frightening and quite fast."
Now that we know "Half-Blood Prince" — which hits theaters July 17 — will, for the first time, bring both the funny and familiar wizard-vs.-wizard action, how will Harry hold up? As he says in the film after Dumbledore confronts him with another new adventure, "Actually, sir, after all these years, I just sort of go with it."
Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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