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Today famed Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers announced they are making a new Harry Potter spinoff movie. The film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, will welcome viewers back to the Harry Potter universe and will personally be written by Rowling.
Here is what you need to know:
1. It’s Based on a Hogwarts Textbook
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The textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was featured prominently in the original Harry Potter series as it was required reading during the protagonists years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
2. This Will be J.K. Rowling’s Screenwriting Debut
Rowling said in a statement released on her Facebook page this morning, that Warner Brothers approached her for permission to make the film. She said, “I thought [the film] was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the suppsoed author of ‘Fantastic Beasts’, realized by another writer was difficult.”
With that in mind, she signed on with Warner Brothers for her screen writing debut.
3. The Movie Will Take Place in New York, 70 Years Before ‘Harry Potter’
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Rowling did not say what the exact plot of the film will be, but did say that the film will follow the author of Fantastic Beasts in New York around 70 years before the events of the original Harry Potter series.
4. Rowling Already Published a Book Version
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Starting in 2001, Rowling began writing and publishing short versions of popular fictitious books from the Harry Potter universe. The first books were Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by Newt Scamander.
You can find both on Amazon.
5. Rowling Says There Will be More Movies
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In the statement she released earlier today, which you can read above, Rowling takes care to tell fans that this is not a prequel or a sequel to the Harry Potter series but an expanding of the universe.
Rowling said that this will be only the first in a “new film series” that will deepen the viewer’s understanding of the Harry Potter world.
6. The Film will be Made by Warner Brothers
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Rowling said that this film is just the beginning of a new collaboration between her and Warner Brothers.
She also personally thanks new Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara for his, “support in this project, which would not have happened without him.”
7. Rowling Has Been Writing Books to Extend the Universe
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The film will be the newest edition to the Harry Potter world since Rowling’s 2008 publishing of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The wildly successful publication is another real-world representation of a book from the Rowling’s series.
Beedle the Bard contains parables and fairy tales from the same wizarding universe as the new film.
8. This is Rowling’s Return to ‘Harry Potter’ After Two Novels
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Rowling’s decision to return to the Harry Potter universe comes after two very successful novels for adults. The Casual Vacancy, was published in 2012 and was universally praised by critics. It is currently in the works to be adapted into a BBC television show.
Her next book, which she published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, is a crime novel called The Cuckoo’s Calling. Even before the author’s true identity surfaced, the book was widely hailed by crime novelists.
9. The Movie will Revolve around Newt Scamander
The film will follow the fictitious author of the text book Newt Scamander. Rowling said of the character:
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.
10. There is no Expected Release Date
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Look’s like we’ll all just have to wait with bated breath and cling to any scrap of news that will emerge from this upcoming blockbuster.
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‘Fantastic Beasts’ Harry Potter Movie: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know