New Movie Franchise Written by J.K. Rowling Will Spin-Off From Harry Potter

Warner Bros. has announced that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling will write the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The new film franchise will tie in with other ventures such as extensive merchandising and video games.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is the name of the textbook mentioned in the first “Harry Potter” novel as required reading for the class. Rowling would later release the fictional schoolbook on its own. The new main character will be its author Newt Scamander.

“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. Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans.

“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “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.”

The Harry Potter film series raked in over $7.7 billion in worldwide grosses and much more when factoring in DVD, merchandising, and other avenues for revenue like theme park attractions.