Question: Harry Potter was a film series beginning with the movie directed by whom?
Context: Harry Potter is a British-American film series based on the "Harry Potter" novels by author J. K. Rowling.  The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (2001) and culminating with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" (2011).  A spin-off prequel series will consist of five films, starting with "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2016).  The "Fantastic Beasts" films mark the beginning of a shared media franchise known as J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World. Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7 is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros.  Interactive Entertainment.  Released on 11 November 2011 in North America and 18 November in Europe, the game is based on the Lego Harry Potter line and is based on the final three books and four films in the "Harry Potter" series: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1", and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2".  The game was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android.  The first trailer of three trailers was released 6 October 2011, and the demo was released on 1 November.  The game was released on Steam on 5 January 2012.  The OS X version of the game was released by Feral Interactive on 7 March 2012.  The game was released for the PlayStation 4 on October 21, 2016, as part of the "Lego Harry Potter Collection", which bundles the game with its predecessor, "". A Very Potter Musical (originally titled Harry Potter: The Musical and often shortened to AVPM) is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A. J. Holmes and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden.  The story is a parody, based on several of the "Harry Potter" novels (particularly "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows") by J. K. Rowling, as well as their film counterparts. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 British-American fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros.  Pictures.  It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling.  The film is the second instalment in the long-running "Harry Potter" film series.  It was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman.  Its story follows Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the Heir of Salazar Slytherin opens the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing a monster that petrifies the school's denizens.  The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.  The film is also the last film to feature Richard Harris as Professor Albus Dumbledore, due to his death that same year. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final novel of the "Harry Potter" series, written by British author J. K. Rowling.  The book was released on 21 July 2007, ten years after publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (1997), by Bloomsbury Publishing in the United Kingdom, in the United States by Scholastic, and in Canada by Raincoast Books, ending the series that began in 1997 with the publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".  The novel chronicles the events directly following "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2005), and the final confrontation between the wizards Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, as well as revealing the previously concealed back story of several main characters.  The title of the book refers to three mythical objects featured in the story, collectively known as the "Deathly Hallows"—an unbeatable wand, a stone to bring the dead to life, and a cloak of invisibility. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in some countries as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) is a 2001 British-American fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros.  Pictures.  It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling.  The film is the first instalment in the long-running "Harry Potter" film series, and was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman.  Its story follows Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his education.  The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros.  The game is based on the Lego Harry Potter line and its storyline covers the first four films in the "Harry Potter" series: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".  The game is available on the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS and Android.  The OS X version of the game was released on 22 February 2011 by Feral Interactive.  The game was released for the PlayStation 4 on October 21, 2016, as part of the "Lego Harry Potter Collection", which bundles the game with its sequel, "". Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2001 book written by British author J. K. Rowling (under the pen name of the fictitious author Newt Scamander) about the magical creatures in the "Harry Potter" universe.  The original version purports to be Harry Potter's copy of the textbook of the same name mentioned in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (or "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the US), the first novel of the "Harry Potter" series.  It includes several notes inside it supposedly handwritten by Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, detailing their own experiences with some of the beasts described, and including in-jokes relating to the original series. Lego "Harry Potter" is a Lego theme based on the films of the "Harry Potter" series.  Lego models of important scenes, vehicles and characters were made for the first six films and all the books released.  The first sets appeared in 2001, to coincide with the release of the first film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States).  Subsequent sets were released alongside the new films, until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  The line then went dormant for three years.  It is unknown if the theme will again be revived to coincide with future installations in the Harry Potter franchise, such as the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 British-American fantasy film directed by David Yates and distributed by Warner Bros.  Pictures.  It is the second of two cinematic parts based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling.  The film, which is the eighth and final instalment in the "Harry Potter" film series, was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman, David Barron, and Rowling.  It is the sequel to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1".  The story continues to follow Harry Potter's quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes in order to stop him once and for all.
Answer: Chris Columbus