London, January 27 : Renowned theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn would have taken the Harry Potter series onstage had he not been beaten by Warner Bros studios, who got to the movie rights first.

The theatre veteran revealed he was full of admiration after having read J. K. Rowling''s Harry Potter books and had decided to secure the rights for a London production for his National Theatre company.

But the 69-year-old had missed the chance only by a few weeks.

"Many years ago I proposed it and they said, ''If only you had come to us a few weeks ago. We have just sold the movie rights. It will be a long time now before anyone is allowed to stage Harry Potter,'' the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

"The movies are so spectacular. Unless you go in the opposite direction and don''t go for spectacle, there''s no way you can compete," he added. (ANI)