For a full twenty-four hours, J.K. Rowling had the Harry Potter fanbase on tenterhooks after she published a cryptic Tweet that proved to be an anagram. As you’d expect, eager fans of The Boy Who Lived immediately assumed that the celebrated author was signalling a return for the retired franchise. However, as it happens, Rowling was instead teasing a reference to Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
.@EmyBemy2 YES!!!!!!!!!!!! People, we have a winner!
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 7, 2014
The spinoff, which is due to hit the big screen in the form of a trilogy, takes place a full seventy years before the events of the Harry Potter franchise and will feature Newt Scamander — hence the clandestine hint. Ardent fans of the series will no doubt recognize the name of the character, as she was referenced in the original films as the fictional author of a string of textbooks about fantastic beasts and, well, where to find them.
Shortly after the anagram was solved — a title that belongs to one Emily Strong — Rowling then confirmed that she is currently at work on the film’s screenplay. Set in New York in the 1920s, the new line of films will chart Scamander’s journey across the world as she begins documenting the weird and wonderful creatures from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Alas, it’s unclear who will sign on to direct the film. Earlier this year, reports suggested that David Yates would once again step into the directing chair, following his work on the final four chapters of Harry Potter. Currently, it’s understood that Yates is onboard to assist Rowling with the screenplay.
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 18th, 2016. Tell us, are you excited to see the next chapter in the Harry Potter universe?
Published: Oct 8, 2014 09:56 am