As if J.K. Rowling could abandon the wonderful world of wizarding? Please! We reported back in September that she'd be waving her magic wand yet again and acting as screenwriter for the Harry Potter spinoff, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," and now, Variety is reporting that this vision is coming to fruition on the big screen thanks to Warner Bros. Best part? It's not going to be just one film either, three "megamovies" are being planned. The 54-page Hogwarts textbook was written in 2001 as a companion piece and was published between "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
The recent announcement came when The New York Times did a profile on Warner Bros. CEO, Kevin Tsujihara and he confirmed that the film franchise will indeed be a trilogy. Initially lauding Mr. Tsujihara's success and magic touch, they wrote:
Wherever he learned the skill, his deft touch became clear to Hollywood’s creative community last September. That is when Warner announced that Ms. Rowling had agreed to adapt for the big screen her “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a 2001 book billed as one of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbooks. Three megamovies are planned. The main character will be a “magizoologist” named Newt Scamander. The stories, neither prequels or sequels, will start in New York about seven decades before the arrival of Mr. Potter and his pals.
Convincing the famously independent Ms. Rowling to dive back into film was a coup. “When I say he made ‘Fantastic Beasts’ happen, it isn’t P.R.-speak but the literal truth,” Ms. Rowling said in response to emailed questions. “We had one dinner, a follow-up telephone call, and then I got out the rough draft that I’d thought was going to be an interesting bit of memorabilia for my kids and started rewriting!” She added, “When Kevin got the top job, he brought a new energy, which rubbed off. He’s a very engaging person, thoughtful and funny.”
There is no word on when the first film will appear but we'll keep you up-to-date on any news surrounding this exciting project.
-Larissa Mrykalo