We’ve recently been seeing a war of words between Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and Harry Potter director David Yates over prospects of the latter directing a Who movie. Talking to press yesterday, Yates confirmed his plans for the film and spoke about when we can expect it.

Speaking to Bleeding Cool at yesterday’s HP Studio Tour press conference, Yates was asked if he still had plans to bring the TARDIS to the big screen. He responded:

“Yes, I’m definitely doing a Doctor Who movie. But I think where everyone got confused was that we’re not making it for five years, or six years – it’s a very slow development. I’ve got projects backed up between now and about 2015, and it’s something I’m very passionate and excited about.

Stephen’s a genius. I love his work, I think he’s incredibly clever. I love what he’s done with Doctor Who, love his Sherlock Holmes. He’s such a gifted man. But this is something that’s a very slow burn and I’m hoping to sit down with him at some point and have a chat. It’s just something that we’ve been talking about for a little while.”

He was also asked whether or not the film would be set within the TV show’s canon after initial claims that it would be a reboot. He seems to have changed stances on that front slightly.

“That’s all to be discussed, because it’s five or six years from now. It’s weird because … what will the series be like in five or six years? But I’m very excited about it, very excited about that world.”

Do you welcome the idea of Yates helming a Doctor Who movie? Or do you think that creative rights over the universe(s) should be left to Moffat while he remains showrunner?

We had learnt in November that Yates was signed onto the project.