Standing beneath the grand and opulent entrance to the Magical Congress of the United States of America – the US version of J.K. Rowling’s famed Ministry of Magic, that is – is Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander, the leading star of David Yates’ upcoming Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Arriving hot on the heels of yesterday’s official logo reveal (Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus), Redmayne’s eccentric and wholly brilliant magizoologist is also serving as the cover star of Entertainment Weekly’s latest issue.
Exploring the character of Newt Scamander long before his title novel became a permanent fixture in the Hogwarts curriculum, Yates’ anticipated offshoot finds our lead uprooting from his native home in England to search for – and define his research on – Fantastic Beasts in New York city. Taking place 70 years before the events surrounding the Boy Who Lived, Yates is penning the screenplay for the Warner Bros. feature in tandem with Rowling, who is on the verge of adding her own chapter to the lore in the form of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Yes, it would seem 2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Potterheads across the globe, and the return of J.K. Rowling’s rich universe is cause for celebration. Joining Redmayne in the starry cast for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them are Gemma Chan, Carmen Ejogo and Jon Voight, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell and Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman.
David Yates’s extension of the Harry Potter-verse, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, will stomp into theaters on November 18, 2016. Warner Bros. has slated two follow-ups for release across 2018 and 2020, though it goes without saying that they’ll largely hinge on the success of Yates’ offshoot.
