Here's why Steven Spielberg refused to direct 'Harry Potter'

Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg doesn’t regret turning down Harry Potter. The 76-year-old director was asked to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first movie in the wizardry franchise based on JK Rowling’s novels, but explained that he snubbed the movie as he wanted to spend time with his family rather than on a film set.

Spielberg, who shares seven children with ex-wife Amy Irving and his current spouse Kate Capshaw, told fellow filmmaker SS Rajamouli, “Kate and I started raising a family and we started having children. The choice I had to make was family or to take up a job that would move me to another country for four of five months where I wouldn’t see my family every day.” Spielberg explained that Harry Potter’ was just one of several projects that he turned down for family reasons.

The Indiana Jones filmmaker added: “There were several films I chose not to make. I chose to turn down the first Harry Potter film to basically spend the next year-and-a-half with my family. So I sacrificed a great franchise, which today, looking back, I’m very happy to have done.”

Spielberg previously explained that he didn’t feel ready to make an ‘all-kids movie’ with the project, which was ultimately directed by Chris Columbus. — IANS