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JK Rowling Credits ‘Harry Potter’ Fandom For ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Inspiration

By Trisha Faulkner
Published on: 17:05 PST, Nov 8, 2018

As fans of all things Harry Potter know all too well, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald official theatrical release date is fast approaching. According to People, J.K. Rowling admitted the cult-like fan base surrounding the Harry Potter universe is largely to thank for the reason the Fantastic Beasts movies even exist in the first place.

While on the red carpet during the world premiere of the sequel to the Fantastic Beasts saga in Paris, Rowling expressed how grateful she was for the loyal Harry Potter following – which has continued to grow since the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them two years ago, in 2016.

Between the books and the movies, Harry Potter has a truly explosive fan base. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – the seventh and final book in the series – was adapted into two films released in November of 2010 and July of 2011. The rebirth of the Harry Potter universe and the release of the first Fantastic Beasts movie five years later was a breath of fresh air for fans of the series who had said goodbye to Harry Potter half a decade ago when the final movie hit theaters.

The time gap between the release of the final Harry Potter movie and the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is partly to thank for the growing fan base as it introduced the saga to a new generation that may or may not have been old enough to watch Harry Potter when it was originally released.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Rowling said what most excited her about the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald was the opportunity to get a good look at some of the stories and themes that pre-date the Harry Potter storyline. Fantastic Beasts was an opportunity for her to expand on brief nuggets of history introduced throughout the Harry Potter books.

Speaking to People, Rowling doesn’t believe she would have revisited the Harry Potter universe to write the Fantastic Beasts movies if not for the incredibly supportive fandom behind Harry Potter.

“This fandom is the most remarkable in the world, for me, obviously. Their loyalty and their passion for these stories really is the reason that I went back, because, without that, I don’t think I would have written these movies,” Rowling admitted during the interview.

According to People, there were roughly 80 million fans of the Harry Potter universe that had come to Paris from all over the world to watch the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and many admitted they were excited for the opportunity to see J.K. Rowling in person.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens on November 16.

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