A Harry Potter spin-off is already underway, and J.K. Rowling is making her screenwriting debut for the new movie series.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is based off Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook of the same name. The movie will feature the books fictitious author Newt Scamander.
J.K. Rowling says of her expanded partnership with Warner Bros.:
“It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of ‘Fantastic Beasts’, realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.”
Rowling then continues:
“As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. 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.”
Supporting Rowling’s attempts to take over the project is Warner Bros.’ Kevin Tsujihara.
Fans of the Harry Potter series have been clamoring for a new book, but we’re sure they will gladly settle for a closer look into the world that led to Harry Potter’s emergence.
There are no further details for the project at this time.
Are you going to head out to theaters when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them debuts?