J.K. Rowling Pens 'Harry Potter' Spinoff Script

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Harry Potter fans have a new film to look forward to thanks to author J.K. Rowling's screenwriting debut!

The woman behind the wildly popular books-turned-movies is penning the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, that is "inspired by Harry Potter's Hogwarts textbook of the same name, and will feature the book's fictitious author, Newt Scamander." This movie will be the first in a new film series put on by Rowling, 48, and Warner Bros.


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The author shared the big news on her website, writing: "It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of Fantastic Beasts, realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favorite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood."

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So what can Rowling's fans expect from these movies? "Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 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. 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."


After hearing the premise of Rowling's new film series, do you think it can live up to the Harry Potter franchise? State your case in the comments.


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