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Wed Jan 21, 3:33 PM ET

..."Harry Potter" fans who want to see every detail from the books translated into the screen versions might be uneasy over the projected length of "Prisoner of Azkaban." Director Alfonso Cuaron expects to bring the movie in at less than 2 1/2 hours, the shortest of the series so far and well under the nearly three-hour running time of the last installment, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

This time, Rowling's story lent itself to a tighter script than the first two flicks, Cuaron said.

"I'm sure that somebody is going to miss something very specific that was ingrained in his or her mind when they read the book. But I think fans are going to love the movie," Cuaron said.

Cuaron signed on for "Harry Potter" after making the racy Spanish-language hit "Y Tu Mama Tambien." He hesitated initially, wondering if it was a good idea to leap into blockbuster country, where every frame would be under the microscope of a profit-minded studio and an eager but finicky audience.

Helping to put the filmmaker on the Hogwart's Express was a remark from a friend, who told him, "in serving Harry Potter, you may do the best film of your career," Cuaron said. "It turned out to be probably the most free experience I ever had in a studio movie."...