Harry Potter Spinoff Film To Be Shot At Same Studio As Original Franchise
Harry Potter fans rejoice! Things are moving forward with the Harry Potter spinoff movie.
MTV News is reporting that shooting on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will take place at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the London film studio where the majority of the original Harry Potter franchise was filmed.
U.K. Culture Secretary Sajid Javid made the announcement earlier this week at an entertainment industry event in London, the Independent reports. The news was confirmed by Warner Brothers Thursday.
If there weren’t enough good news for Harry Potter fans, there’s more. First, the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts is coming directly from J.K. Rowling herself, according to Hollywood.com. Second, according to Escapist Magazine., Warner Bros. hopes to make a trilogy from the spinoff. And third, and perhaps most tantalizingly, at least part of the film will take place in New York, giving viewers a glimpse into how J.K. Rowling’s wizarding universe operates outside of Britain.
The film will be neither a sequel nor a prequel to the original Harry Potter franchise; rather, it will take place in the same universe, and serve as an “expansion” of the original films.
Related: Harry Potter Theme Park Gets New Features (Inquisitr)
As of this post, little else is known about Fantastic Beasts — actors, directors, producers, etc. have not been announced. The plot is likely to focus on Newt Scamander, a young wizard who eventually becomes a magizoologist — that is, a student of magical animals. Scamander’s book eventually becomes a textbook used at Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling told The Mirror last fall:
“The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.”
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the book, was released in 2001. Containing notes and doodles supposedly from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the book describes several dozen magical beasts, from both mythology and from Rowling’s imagination. The short (54 pages) book also gives a glimpse into Scamander’s life as a magizoologist. According to Common Sense Media, proceeds from Fantastic Beasts and its companion book, Quidditch Through the Ages, were donated to various charities dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world.
According to IMDn, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will debut in U.S. theaters November 18, 2016.
Do you have high expectations for the next Harry Potter film? Let us know in the Comments.
[Image via Bing]
