British cathedral signs up for Harry Potter film

LONDON (Reuters) -- Britain's 900-year-old Gloucester Cathedral is to be transformed into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for a film based on the Harry Potter bestsellers.

The cathedral, with its striking Gothic spires and vaulted cloisters, has signed a deal with Warner Brothers, which is making the first film based on the schoolboy wizard's adventures. Warner Brothers is a division of Time Warner, which also owns CNN.com.

The Dean of Gloucester, the very Reverend Nicholas Bury, told the London Times: "Gloucester is one of the most beautiful cathedrals and its friendliness and human scale have often been remarked upon. It is an atmospheric place."

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Gloucester has stepped in where Canterbury Cathedral feared to tread.

"We did not think the books posed problems. But other people might take offense and so we had to say no," said Christopher Robinson, spokesman for the Dean of Canterbury. "The imagery of witches and warlocks might upset Christians."

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