20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About Harry Potter

20. Spielberg Originally Envisioned The Series As An Animation Starring Haley Joel Osment

While he eventually turned the gig down, Steven Spielberg was originally in line to direct the first Harry Potter film, and he envisioned it being an animation with The Sixth Sense and A.I. star Haley Joel Osment providing the voice for the titular boy wizard. In an interview, the director expressed enormous confidence that the movie would print money, proclaiming, "It's just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. There's no challenge." Eventually, Spielberg moved on from the project and Chris Columbus was appointed as director. Thank God, because while an animated Potter film may have been successful in its own right (though most certainly not as much as the ultimate live-action version), Potter fans would never have accepted an American Harry Potter.