Harry Potter Spinoff Movie Info

Everything We Know About Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Image Source: Warner Bros.

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is moving full-steam ahead to the big screen. The movie trilogy, with Eddie Redmayne taking the lead, follows a character who exists 70 years before Potter's time. Though Rowling said that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to Harry Potter's story, she confirmed that the new series is an "extension of the wizarding world" and that "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." The movie is coming out later this year, and with JK Rowling revealing info about North American magic on Pottermore, we've compiled all that and everything else there is to know about the upcoming franchise.

1 What Is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?

Image Source: Warner Bros.

Fantastic Beasts is one of Harry Potter's textbooks at Hogwarts, which first appears in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the first book of the series). Written by Newt Scamander, it's a guide for magizoology — the study of magical creatures — and educates young minds about 75 different species of creatures, all based on the observations of the author himself on his travels. It's required reading for all first-year Hogwarts students.
Although the book was a textbook and not Newt's story, as the movie is, J.K. Rowling will be releasing the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay as a book in November.

2 The Cast

Image Source: Getty / Jason Merritt

Eddie Redmayne is leading the cast as Newt, and the rest of the cast, which includes Colin Farrell, can be found here.

3 Who Is Newt Scamander?

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According to the "About the Author" section of Fantastic Beasts, Scamander (full name: Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander) was born in 1897 and graduated from Hogwarts as a Hufflepuff, then worked for the Ministry of Magic in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. At one point, he was the headmaster of Hogwarts. His interest in magizoology comes from his mother, a Hippogriff breeder. After publishing the textbook, Scamander retired with his wife in Dorset.

4 The Plot and Setting

Image Source: Warner Bros.

EW revealed a ton of plot details about the film, giving us some info about what we will see. The movie is set in 1926 New York, and Scamander goes on some sort of adventure. We'll encounter the Magical Congress of the United States of America, the "American version of the Ministry of Magic that's housed inside the Woolworth Building." Plus, we assume we will also see Ilvermorny, the American version of Hogwarts. Oh, and the American term for Muggle is "No-Maj."

5 Who's Directing

Image Source: Everett Collection

David Yates has signed on to direct the films. That name should be familiar to fans — Yates directed the final four movies in the Harry Potter franchise. Rowling is writing the screenplays.

6 Newt's Relation to Harry Potter Characters

Image Source: Everett Collection

Newt is related to one Harry Potter character we know and love. Scamander's grandson Rolf marries Luna Lovegood (the two both grow up to be naturalists).

7 The Trailer

Image Source: Warner Bros.

Watch all the exciting trailers that invite you back into the Wizarding World.

8 The Release Date

Image Source: Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. announced release dates for each movie in the spinoff trilogy, or shall we say, release years. The first movie is set for Nov. 18, 2016, and the next films will come out in 2018 and 2020.

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