“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a new fantasy adventure from “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, will open on Nov. 18, 2016, Warner Bros. said Tuesday.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be an original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series. Harry Potter is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having earned more than $7.7 billion worldwide, so the appeal of returning to the scene of the spell is obvious.
Also read: Warner Bros. Announces New J.K. Rowling Film Series, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’
Inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the series will center on the textbook’s author, Newt Scamander. The film is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world.
“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,” Rowling said in a statement when the project was announced last fall.
Also read: J.K. Rowling’s ‘The Casual Vacancy’ Miniseries Coming to HBO
There are currently no other movies slotted for a release on that date, but Fox will open “Trolls” on Nov. 14, 2016, and Disney will have its traditional Thanksgiving weekend animated release a week after “Fantastic Beasts” rolls out.