Harry Potter spinoff book, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, has captivated fans of J.K. Rowling’s magical universe – despite being set seven decades before the events of the seminal series. It took little time before the pamphlet (hey it’s 54 pages) was speedily greenlit, and it is now in the early stages of pre-production. With Rowling making her screenwriting debut with the script, there’s been little news of any other talent attached. Until today.
Now, hold your horses, as this is only a rumour, but fans of Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban might be a smidgen excited – Alfonso Cuarón, hot off the critically-acclaimed Gravity is apparently “in talks” to direct. Deadline’s head honcho Nikki Finke tweeted about the prospect earlier this morning:
I hear Alfonso Cuarón (‘Gravity’, ‘HP/Azkaban’) deep in talks to direct JK Rowling’s Harry Potter spinoff ‘Fantastic Beasts’. Perfect pick.
— Nikki Finke (@NikkiFinke) May 19, 2014
Whether Cuarón bags the gig or not, there’ll be someone else ushered in quite quickly, no doubt, as the film’s already been pencilled in for release over Thanksgiving weekend in 2016. Warner Bros. are intending to kickstart a whole new trilogy based on the book, which chronicles the life and times of Newt Scamander, a “magizoologist.” Fans of Potter will recognize the title as it featured in both the novels and movies, as a volume consulted by the characters. Scamander thrived in the wizarding world of New York seventy years before the shenanigans sparked off with Harry.
The synopsis from Amazon details a little more about the purpose of the compendium:
A copy of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them resides in almost every wizarding household in the country. Now, Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats, and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them will open on November 18th, 2016.
