Which film was the first screen adaptation of a J.K. Rowling novel?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the first screen adaptation of a J.K. Rowling novel.

The film premiered in 2001 and was directed by Chris Columbus. Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. The story adapts the first novel, in which Harry discovers the wizarding world and begins his first year at Hogwarts.

Warner Bros. developed the film after acquiring the rights to Rowling’s books. The adaptation established visual versions of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Hogwarts Express, and other locations that became familiar throughout the film series.

In the United States, the film used the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, matching the American edition of the novel. That alternate title does not identify a different film. The later Chamber of Secrets was the second Harry Potter film, released in 2002.