Aparecium!: Harry Potter spin-off to be made into film trilogy

J K Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was originally published in 2001.

Author J K Rowling never fails to enchant us. What is expected to be a thrilling Harry Potter spin-off, Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be made into a film trilogy.

The film series will be based on a book that was originally published in 2001, between the fourth and fifth edition and billed as one of Harry Potter’s ‘Hogwarts’ textbooks, reports bbc.com. It is set in New York City, 70 years before we first meet Harry.

Warner Bros chief Kevin Tsujihara reportedly convinced Rowling to turn the spin-off into a big screen series. Rowling acknowledged his role in persuading her to adapt the book.

“We had one dinner, a follow-up telephone call, and then I got out the rough draft that I’d thought was going to be an interesting bit of memorabilia for my kids and started rewriting,” she said.

Tsujihara shared that the “three mega movies” are in the pipeline and will be based on a ‘magizoologist’ named Newt Scamander, the Deccan Chronicle reports.

Scamander is the writer of a magical creatures’ guide, whose adventures will be the focus of the first film of the series. The book, according to Rowling is neither a sequel nor a prequel, but an “extension [of Harry Potter’s] wizarding world.”

“I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it,” said Rowling following the announcement of the film last year. The movie’s adaptation was first speculated in September.

The original film franchises that garnered success the world over star Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who will not be appearing in the spin-off versions.

Rowling aims at keeping the new film separate from the original series to offer Harry Potter fans something new without losing significance of the fictional world that is loved across the globe.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st,2014.

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