"Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park is slated to open sometime in late 2009...
(http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/)

In Potterworld, you'll find the Three Broomsticks pub-restaurant and other money-spending opportunities, all behind snow-covered Hogsmeade Village facades (crafted by local scenic arts shop Nassal Co.). The Flying Unicorn kiddie-coaster will be re-themed to one of Hagrid's magical creatures, and Dueling Dragons' elaborate castle queue will be redecorated (hopefully not destroyed) around a wizarding competition. What's less certain: the details of "Project Strongarm," the next-generation "RoboCoaster" that is supposed to be new area's E-Ticket. After Universal contracted Kuka to attraction exclusivity on their latest robot arm technology, Hill sparked reports of a "flying car" ride based on the Weasleys' Ford Anglia from the Chamber of Secrets. More recently, American Scenic briefly released (and quickly retracted) designs depicting a benchlike vehicle navigating the Forbidden Forest, an Acromantula nest, the Basilisk's lair and other environments from the second novel.

EA Games pledges bright future for Harry Potter based games...
(http://www.ea.co.nz/en-nz/)

'EA hopes to make the Boy Who Lived continue to entertain game fans, even after the two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" has bowed out of theaters. "I think that's a great opportunity," Wiimote-clutching "Harry Potter" executive producer Jonathan Bunney told MTV News last week at an EA summer press event. "Certainly, we've done it with 'Lord of the Rings.' We've extended beyond the movies there. We did it with James Bond for a while. I don't know what we'll do with 'Harry Potter.' It'd be fun to, I think. There's more stories that we can tell." As Bunney points out, this isn't without precedent. "Lord of the Rings" happily carried on in the interactive world past its original trilogy with new stories and interpretations."

Mr. Bunney also said the possibility exists for the company to go back and revisit the first Harry Potter video games, given the advancements in technology since the first in the series were made available. "There's an opportunity to go back to the original movie," he said. "The technology has moved on so much. When we were first making those games, we were making it for PlayStation 1, and now we've got, you know, the Wii. I think there's opportunities to [revisit stories]. "We have to figure out whether anyone wants to buy those or not!" he added with a laugh.

The subject of a possible online game was again addressed, with the producer re-iterating what he stated previously, as the article notes that "Warner Bros. has said they're interested in producing an online "Harry Potter," and so is EA. "We've talked about it a lot," Bunney said. "The reality is that we're focused on the movie games. I think there could be a fun MMO for Harry Potter".

Warner Bros moves Half-Blood Prince release date from November 2008 to July 2009...
(http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/)

The press release says the reason for the move was two-fold: First, the studio says summer releases are better for "family tentpole" events, and second, they are still feeling the aftereffects of the writers' strike and need the time to make sure the film reaches the widest audience possible.The new date, said Jeff Robinov, president of WB's motion picture group, does not alter the production schedule for the last two Harry Potter films; filming on the first of the two book-seven films will begin in February. "The good news for [fans]," he said, "is that the gap will now be shortened between 'Half-Blood Prince' and the first part of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.'"The writers' strike, the release says, "impacted the readiness of scripts for other films--changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move 'Half-Blood Prince' to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer."

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" book by J.K. Rowling due December 4, 2008...
(http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/beedle/index.htm)

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers' attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Now, thanks to Hermione Granger's new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," "The Fountain of Fair Fortune," "The Warlock's Hairy Heart," "Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump," and of course, "The Tale of the Three Brothers." But not only are they the equal of fairy tales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.

The stories are accompanied by delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by Ms. Rowling herself, featuring a still-life frontispiece for each one. Professor Dumbledore's commentary - apparently written some eighteen months before his death - reveals not just his vast knowledge of Wizarding lore, but also more of his personal qualities: his sense of humor, his courage, his pride in his abilities, and his hard-won wisdom. Names familiar from the Harry Potter novels sprinkle the pages, including Aberforth Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and his forebears, and Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (or "Nearly Headless Nick"), as well as other professors at Hogwarts and the past owners of the Elder Wand.

All proceeds of this book, sales of which are expected to exceed 8 million dollars, will benefit the Childrens High Level Group - J.K. Rowlings chosen charity.