NEW PROJECT by JKR: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The Film

[Jonny Boy]

I'm sure most people have seen this by now, but J.K. Rowling will be writing a screenplay based on "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", which she suggests will become a film series.

Rowling said that it is not meant to be a sequel or prequel to the story, but simply set in the same universe.

Despite that, it does seem to me that it is somewhat of an extension. It is a bit like the encyclopedia but in film form.

What do people think of this news?

[GingerCat1]

JK Rowling to pen Harry Potter spin-off film

JK Rowling is to make her screenwriting debut in a new Harry Potter-themed film series, Warner Bros has announced.

The first film of the series will be titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Warner Bros said the film series was part of an "expanded creative partnership" with the best-selling author.

The eight Harry Potter films are the largest-grossing film franchise in history.

The new film will feature Newt Scamander, the fictional author of the textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, owned by Harry Potter at Hogwarts school.

Warner Bros has given no indication as to when the film could go into production.

"It all started when Warner Bros came to me with the suggestion of turning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a film," said Rowling.

"I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of Fantastic Beasts, realised 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.

She went on: "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 17 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, 70 years before Harry's gets underway."

Rowling added: "I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it."

Blockbuster franchise
Warner Bros also announced that it would serve as the worldwide TV distributor (excluding the UK) for the upcoming BBC TV adaptation of Rowling's recent adult novel The Casual Vacancy. It is expected to air in 2014.

More than 450 million copies of Rowling's seven Potter books have been sold worldwide.

She also wrote two small volumes, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages - both named after Harry's schoolbooks within the novels. They were published in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief.

Another Potter spin-off book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, followed in December 2008.

The Harry Potter novels, about a boy wizard who survives the attack that kills his parents, became a worldwide phenomenon and were turned into eight blockbuster Warner Bros films starring Daniel Radcliffe.

The films have grossed more than $7.7bn to date worldwide at the box office, making Harry Potter the largest-grossing film franchise in history.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24067557

This is the biggest Harry Potter story in years.

[GrimeldaDursley]

http://www.nbcnews.com/entertainment...lms-8C11137861

[captain_mills]

I can't believe I'm the first to post about this... I'm personally excited!

"The wizarding world of Harry Potter is coming back to the big screen through a new spin-off movie written by J.K. Rowling herself. The movie will be set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter, and will follow the adventures of Newt Scamander..."

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/12/47...owling-writing

The screenplay written by her with the same look and feel but centered around different characters which don't have to act as the dreaded 'prequels' and such... Sounds great! Can't wait!

CM

[Hes]

Really cool idea, you could do so much with amazing locations around the world and good special effect.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

I was really thrown by this - at first, when I read that another Potter film was announced, my reaction was disappointment and dread. It was done - can't any film franchise just be done?! Then I read that this would actually be a spin-off series, and that Jo herself would be writing the first film in it! Well, that made me considerably more positive on this. I think I'd be more so if it were being conceived of as a single film instead of a new series, but hey, maybe our creator's thought of something really terrific here that can carry a new series, maybe it's more than, "Hey, Disney has all the other franchises in the known universe, so can you come up with more Harry, JK?" Whether this project succeeds or not, I am very, very relieved that this isn't a strained extension of Harry's story or another sort of sequel or prequel. It's a unique new wizarding world venture from Jo Rowling; why not be excited about that?

[RikuStark]

It's amazing. Who expected this? I also find it interesting to note "first film of the series"! I never expected Jo to return to Potter in this way. I'm still in shock.

[MrSleepyHead]

To bring in some of the earlier posts from Do Quidditch through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts have a chance to become movies:

Posts:    

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Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead It looks like they do! At least, Fantastic Beasts does: J.K. Rowling continues to shock and excite me, and the fandom in general! Originally Posted by GrimeldaDursley Hey, you beat me to it! My thread about this is under moderation, just had the link in it. I am kinda excitred about this! Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead I just remember this thread from a while ago (dates from 2008-2011!) and that I had always meant to post in it - I'm glad I now have the reason to! It's interesting, though, to see that in over 3 pages the majority of users do not see adapting these textbooks into films. Even more interesting is that the announcement indicates that Fantastic Beasts will not just be a film/documentary, but a film series: "It is planned as the first picture in a new film series." So it looks like we may get a "Newt Scamander and the Traveling Kettle", and on from there. I'm curious how it will succeed. Just that it is steeped in J.K. Rowling's influence and in the Harry Potter world will likely lead to some success, but unless she can make Newt and his adventures just as alluring Harry and his on-screen, it may fade quickly. I always expected a TV miniseries or the like with Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch, so this is very surprising. But I'm very excited to gain some new information about the wizarding world, even if in the context of Newt Scamander's life. Originally Posted by HMN Just when we thought it was over! Very exciting. I just heard the news and knew someone over here would be posting about it already. Of course I'd prefer a new book series, but I guess I'll take what I can get. 70 years earlier brings us to the 1940's if I'm doing my math right. Which means during WWII and during Grindlewald's rise to power. Taking place in NY of course is very exciting, but also interesting because the US didn't become involved in the war until 1941. This gives her a lot of leeway to use political and international relations issues in her storytelling. I would have never imagined this, but I have full faith in JKR for this to be a success. And more wizarding world internationally. The culture differences opens up a world of possibilities. Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead Which is one key reason why I truly love CoS! Hopefully users who have distanced themselves of late from CoS will return for discussion: much like when Pottermore was announced. JKR said, "Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway." Now, what does she mean by Harry's story getting underway? Is it when he was born (1980))? When he started Hogwarts (1991)? The Marauder era (~1970-1980)? So these different interpretations could place Newt's story beginning any time from ~1900-1921. But as it seems like it may be a series, there seems a definite possibility that the story will overlap during the WWII/Grindelwald era - a fascinating time period in the wizarding world about which many of us have often wondered. When I first read that Newt's story opens up in New York, this was exactly my reaction. I'm very excited for JKR to introduce us into new realms of the wizarding world that Harry's story didn't encompass: culture, time, space, magical theory, etc. Given this new perspective on the wizarding world, I would prefer having Newt's adventures documented in a book format initially, with a screen adaptation to follow; but I can understand JKR's draw toward the film format. I think this film(s) has a lot of potential, but a huge challenge will be selling it to the general public. Since we'll presumably be following Newt's life, I wonder if she'll tie in any known characters that may have had interactions with him - for instance, Dumbledore, Prof. Kettleburn, Hagrid, Luna... It would be a neat way of tying this new series to the old (and a way to engage fans who may be wary of this new perspective). Originally Posted by GingerCat1 This is great news. Odds are the forum will stay alive now as well since the Harry Potter series is no longer over. It may not have Harry Potter in it but it has the Harry Potter universe. Also the mods have really dropped the ball as they have at least 3 new threads about this topic and the mods have activated none of them. Originally Posted by RikuStark I don't think it will be taking place in the 1940's though. The movie is suppose to take place 70 years before the first Harry Potter book takes place in 1991, so the roaring twenties in New York seems to be the possible setting (if I'm doing my math right)! Originally Posted by Jonny Boy I was completely shocked by this. It was probably the last thing that anyone was expecting as a continuation of Harry Potter, but I'm super excited to see how it turns out. I hope it follows Scamander as he discovers some new creatures, and that they keep the characters from HP to a minimum (ie its not completely about Dumbledore). I think the dangerous thing is that it could very easily turn into a prequel, even unintentionally, and I think it would be a lot cooler if it was almost completely detached from the main story. Originally Posted by unconvinced My thoughts when I saw it on BBC news was "wasn't there a forum where I used to talk about this sort of thing". Even remembered my password first time! Sounds interesting, I was always a books over the movies guy so I'd have preferred a book but a film is interesting too. Something that perhaps will make it different to the HP films is that it will be written specifically for the format rather than having to adapt or improvise to stay true to the books.

Originally Posted by RikuStark

I never expected Jo to return to Potter in this way. I'm still in shock.

I agree with this. Of all the ways to return to the wizarding world, I didn't expect a film series based on a companion book/relatively obscure character from the series. More shocking to me is the timing: JKR has been busy with The Casual Vacancy and Cuckoo's Calling, and I thought those releases emphasized a professional and (possibly) personal distancing from Harry Potter. I expected her to return more fully to Harry's world, but not for quite a while longer. I can't complain, of course!

[leah49]

Will the screenplay be adapted into a book and then we'll have more books to read?

[meesha1971]

Awesome news. I always felt that she wouldn't be able to stay away from the wizarding world forever. There are just so many potential stories there. I hadn't considered Newt Scamander before, but I like the sound of it so far.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Originally Posted by leah49

Will the screenplay be adapted into a book and then we'll have more books to read?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Novelization? You know, if novelizations were as much of a thing as they were a decade or two ago, I wouldn't count it out.

[ignisia]

I imagine there's a lot one can do with this idea: tons of interesting creatures, suspense (considering how dangerous some of them are), multiple locations, multiple characters, etc. I don't know what the overall plot might be, but this sounds super cool, and I'm willing to wait and see how it all comes together.

[hermy_weasley2]

This pretty awesome. It's probably the best way to extend Potterverse without milking the HP story. I love it!

[ArryGrotter]

I'm sceptical and always have been towards the adaptation of the companion books. While I do trust Jo, I still feel that it'd be best if the HP film series was just laid to rest. That Fantastic Beats has been said to be the start of a new film series I'm even more sceptical. I might have been ok if it was just the one film, but the possibility of all these spin offs is concerning to me.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

He's been suggested for too many franchises over the years, and he seems to be always attached to a dozen different things at once, but I'm having a hard time shaking the idea of Guillermo del Toro directing this.

[Adeline]

Personally.. I am SUPER excited about this! I actually was almost in tears for a bit when I first read the article, which kinda surprised me

I totally feel the progression of thought you went through though IenjoyAcidPops... if this were a continuation of Harry's story it would have just been like "yea WB just wants to make money" and it would have felt forced and cheapened. But I am so excited because I know Jo waited for something she was passionate about, and I'm so glad she will be very closely involved in making it. I hope she can come up with a good plot to last several movies though? But I have faith in her

[SevPrince]

I really excited about this. I'm glad that it is a spin off. Is this forum still going to close. It looks the Harry Potter fandom have just been awaken from sleep.

[Wab]

Seems there's still some money to be wrung out of the series.

I still think an Attenbroough-esque series would do the book greater justice.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Originally Posted by Wab

I still think an Attenbroough-esque series would do the book greater justice.

I have thought that a TV series that's a twist/satire on an exotic-animal travelogue would be more fitting - and I'd like to think that Rowling's thought of that herself, but the idea that she's come up with is different enough from her book, and more appropriate for a film.

[ArryGrotter]

Originally Posted by Wab

I still think an Attenbroough-esque series would do the book greater justice.

Actually yes, this would be an awesome idea and a much more fitting way to translate the book to screen. However, I shouldn't be so anti feature film until we learn more about it.