J.K. Rowling is not done with the world of “Harry Potter!”
Warner Bros. announced plans for the author to pen her first screenplay based on a book mentioned in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The book, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” appeared on the Hogwart’s reading list in the first installment of the massively successful franchise and was written by fictitious author Newt Scamander.
“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,” Rowling said in a statement. “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.”
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The author explained how the book within her book ended up heading to the big screen.
“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 favorite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood,” she continued in the statement.
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Adding, “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… 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.”
According to the studio, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be the first in a series of films.
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