With filming expected to start before the final day of summer, fans are just about ready to pop with anticipation ahead of the next chapter in the Harry Potter universe. J.K. Rowling’s spin-off book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sees the world’s first billionaire author return to the “Potterverse” she created for the first time since 2007.
The build-up has been cryptic though – quite literally in the case of riddles posted on Twitter by Rowling herself – but what do we know so far about Fantastic Beasts as the cameras warm up to start shooting?
Key names return to the Potterverse
HP fans will surely be reassured by some familiar names involved with Fantastic Beasts. First of all, Rowling herself is writing the screenplays for what will be a trilogy of films based on the book released in 2001.
We also know the first line from the script’s synopsis, thanks to one of her Twitter riddles, although fans may be disappointed after it sparked rumours of a Harry Potter return.
Cry, foe! Run amok! Fa awry! My wand won’t tolerate this nonsense.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 6, 2014
Which actually translates as:
@jk_rowling Newt Scamander only meant to stay in New York for a few hours… #anagram
— Emily (@EmyBemy2) October 7, 2014
So we also know the film opens in New York with main protagonist, Newt Scamander.
The return of David Yates to the director’s chair will be welcome news for many too. The British filmmaker directed the final four Harry Potter films and his work is often regarded as the best in the series by fans. While David Heyman, who produced the entire series of Harry Potter films, assumes the same role for the Fantastic Beasts series.
The final key name returning to the Potterverse is Warner Bros. Studios, who first approached Rowling with the adaptation. Filming will largely take place in the same studios where the Harry Potter films were shot and fans still flock each year for the popular studio tour.
All of this means we have the author herself, the perfect HP director-producer duo and the original studio setting involved; which means fans can be confident the trilogy will feel every bit a part of the Harry Potter universe they crave so much.
New names welcomed to the Potterverse
Six characters have so far been confirmed for the first film and four of them cast. Newt Scamander takes the helm as main protagonist and will be played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, while Katherine Waterston will fill the role of his love interest and future wife, Porpentina.
Since then we have had Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler announced as Porpetina’s younger sister and a “non-wizard” who Newton befriends during his prolonged stay in New York. One further character has been confirmed and another rumoured – Modesty, a young girl “with an ability to see deep into people” and Kredan, a wizard Newt supposedly meets towards the end of his time in NYC.
So what else do we know about Fantastic Beasts?
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be a trilogy of “megamovies”.
- The films will be set in New York, roughly 70 years before Harry Potter’s story begins.
- However, Rowling describes the series as neither a prequel nor sequel to the boy wizard’s tale.
- Which means there will be no Harry, Hermione or Ron in the trilogy – although there have been some weak rumours of a Dumbledore appearance.
- The first film is due for release Nov 18 2016 and the final two instalments will follow in 2018 and 2020 respectively.
So the good news for Potter fans is they can expect some more magic in their lives, at least for another five years. This will make a 10-year-old who read the first book in 1997 thirty-three by the time the final Fantastic Beasts film makes general release. But, if the book and film series have proven anything, it’s that age doesn’t factor when fans get a chance to explore more of Rowling’s Potterverse.
Image by Daniel Ogren, under Creative Commons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=8k_v0cVxqEY
Originally published August 29, 2015. Updated November 12, 2018.
