Little-known Brit to direct fifth Potter movie

Producers of the fifth Harry Potter movie have chosen a little-known British director to helm the production.

David Yates, whose only previous feature film is The Tichborne Claimant, will direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which follows the boy wizard as he enters his fifth year at the Hogwarts school of wizardry and experiences the highs and lows of adolescence as well as his supernatural challenges.

Yates is due to begin shooting the project, which will be scripted by Michael Goldenberg, late this year or early in the New Year. The film is scheduled for release in 2007.

Meanwhile, in Britain the Harry Potter films and Shrek 2 are being credited for a 10 per cent increase in cinema visits, to 117 million for the year.

The best performing film this year so far has been Shrek 2, which took 48 million pounds ($126 million) at the box office.

The green ogre was followed by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with 45 million pounds ($118 million).