David Yates has confirmed he will be directing "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." According to SciFi Wire, Yates is finishing up the last touches on "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which opens this summer right before the release of the seventh and final book in the mega-successful series.  There is of course no word yet on who will direct "Deathly Hallows."

Yates said, "I am doing 'Half-Blood Prince,' and I'm doing it because I love the world, I love the characters.  I think I have more business with this world and these characters."

"I've made a kind of tonal shift with the fifth film, which I want to continue and develop into the sixth film," continued Yates. "And I can see the fifth story evolving into the sixth story in a really interesting way. So I'm on a journey with this material and this world, and I'm keen to complete it."