Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Spinoff of “Harry Potter”, with the author of the book originals making her debut as a screenwriter.
Plot and Background
When the eccentric and adventurous wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in the USA in the late 1920s, he has no idea what adventures await him. Originally, he wanted to explore the magical animal creatures of the continent and take some of them with him in his versatile suitcase. But fate does not mean well for him, because the worldwide wanted criminal and wizard Gellert Grindelwald is loose. The mood in New York is more than tense as mysterious attacks threaten to expose the magical community. In these uncertain times, Scamander meets suspended Auror Tina (Katherine Waterston) and non-magician Jacob (Dan Fogler). When Newt swaps his valuable suitcase with the non-magician, disaster takes its course.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Backgrounds
“Harry Potter” fans have known Newt Scamander since the first year at Hogwarts, where he is mentioned as the author of one of the school books. According to the little information known so far, the wizard is a Hufflepuff student, as well as an employee of the Ministry of Magic. He is said to have researched the fantastic animal creatures across five continents. Harry and his fellow students can read about the results of this journey in the saga that takes place 70 years later. Joanne K. Rowling, author of the “Harry Potter” book series, already published the encyclopaedia of the same name on the magical animal creatures in 2001 and donated the proceeds to the aid organisation Comic Relief. She is making her screenwriting debut for the latest adventure in the “Harry Potter” franchise. Singer Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell and “The Flash” actor Ezra Miller also appear in supporting roles. The production was taken over by David Yates, who has already directed the last four “Harry Potter” films.
In total, the “Fantastic Beasts” series is to comprise five films, all of which revolve around the battle between Newt Scamander and Gellert Grindelwald. The first sequel, “Fantastic Beasts 2: Grindelwald’s Crime”, was released in 2018, and “Fantastic Beasts 3” is set to continue the story in 2020.