Nothing says summer like a blockbuster sequel. Or a superhero movie. Or Hugh Jackman with mutton chops. And so the season hits us in buttery waves, washing ashore X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a new Star Trek movie and the much-awaited sixth Harry Potter installment —the last one not yet but worry not, Voldemort lurks closer and closer

The wait is over

The sixth Harry Potter film will bundle plot lines for a wider section of the ensemble and set the stage for the intense crescendos that will dominate the final two movies

Daniel Radcliffe has spent half his life in the role of boy wizard Harry Potter, so it’s difficult to imagine any surprises presenting themselves on the set of the sixth film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which arrives in theatres July 15. But Radcliffe said “this time around the refreshing aspect was the adolescent romantic core of this film, which should be absolutely charming and very funny.”

The sixth Potter adventure was scheduled for release last November but, to the disappointment of fans, Warner Bros. executives announced last summer that they would postpone the film for eight months to maximise its market position.

The last film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, pulled in $938 million, making it the most successful edition since the first installment, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, which pulled in $974 million. The franchise has brought in close to $4.5 billion.

There were seven Potter novels published, but the studio and filmmakers will split the final book into two films. The closing chapters are scheduled for release in November 2010 and July 2011.

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