As the muggle world nears the end of its countdown for “The Order of the Phoenix,” director David Yates has revealed that the latest Harry Potter movie will have a darker edge as it tackles the adolescent boy wizard as he walks a thin line between good and evil.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Yates’ first major work and the fifth in the blockbuster film series, shows Harry experiencing the growing pains and teenage angst that come with the ascent to adulthood.

Harry and Hermione
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and Emma Watson (Hermione) both look naughty as Daniel’s eyes wander down to Emma’s “hidden parts” during a press conference.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is “more complicated and complex than the earlier films,” Yates told Japan’s Fuji Television Network.

“The key things of this movie are really about identity, about discovering who you are as a person, at that very difficult and often dramatic age between about 14 and 17,” Yates said.

“So it kind of opens the movies up to a bigger, older audience in a way, I think,” he said.

In a storyline that draws parallels with the growing age of the young actors, Harry comes across as a more gritty character than in the previous films.

“Harry is angry,” actor Daniel Radcliffe described his role at a news conference to promote the film on Monday.

“David has taken the best aspects of the other films and added some grit that wasn’t previously there,” said Radcliffe, who has played Potter throughout the series based on the novels by author J.K. Rowling.

Radcliffe and Watson
Harry is definitely not angry here, as his roving eyes would show.

Emma Watson, who plays Harry’s sidekick Hermione, agreed.

“The Order of the Phoenix is the most genuine of all the films so far,” said Watson. “David wanted to find the truth from within all the characters.”

Yates was keen to explore new ground and push the actors further than before.

“He really stopped us from getting complacent,” said Watson.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” will have its official world premiere in London on July 3.

Rowling’s six Harry Potter books have sold 325 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 64 languages, with the series converted into a successful film franchise.

The earnestly awaited seventh and final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is to be released on July 21, with Rowling warning she will kill off two characters.

The huge 150 million-dollar production follows Harry and his classmates at the Hogwarts school — such as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger — as they face the evil Lord Voldemort who has come back from the darkness.

Harry also experiences his first romance in the fifth installment, a highlight of the upcoming film especially for those who have watched the life of the poor boy, whose parents were killed by Voldemort and was adopted by his mean aunt and uncle.

The film will hit cinemas around the world starting on July 11. It will not go into general release in Japan until July 20.

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