You're gonna be bothered by how cool I am.

Well, it appears my Adrian Lyne scoop was an April Fool's gag after all :P, and David Yates really is coming back to direct Half-Blood Prince. And I'm rather excited about that prospect.

From SciFi Wire (bold mine):

"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. 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."

Wait. You mean HBP wasn't a sudden jolt from the beauty and virtue of the first five books into the abyss of suckitude?!

And from the LA Times (again, bold mine):

Radcliffe has already committed to play Harry for the final two films in the series. For Yates too this isn't the end, having signed on for the next: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." "I know Alfonso and Mike, when they came out, they were kind of shredded, but I've come out feeling invigorated," Yates says. "And I don't think I'm quite done with this world yet. These can be great films about childhood. The next one's full of sexual politics, and the kids are getting better as actors, and I want to push them even more. This one's quite lyrical and intense. The next one is more fun."

What is this ... fun he speaks of? Harry Potter is SERIOUS BUSINESS! And romance is more so! Doesn't he realize the enormous responsibility inherent in portraying romance to an audience of impressionable children?! You have the ear of the world, Mr. Yates, don't squander that opportunity the way Jo did!

But seriously ... *DANCES WITH JOY*

If you want to see how Yates can do romance, look up his wonderful BBC television movie The Young Visiters (it has Hugh Laurie in it, so you know you want to see it!). Also, Girl in the Cafe, while largely a political film, is at its heart a romance story.

And ... sexual politics? :D BRING ON THE CANARIES AND CHEST MONSTERS, BABY!