JK Rowling will continue writing about the world of Harry Potter in a new project.
Rowling signed a deal with Warner Bros. Co. to write a screenplay for a movie series based on, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a Hogwarts textbook Rowling published in 2001. The movies will feature the book’s “author,” Newt Scamander, and will take place in New York 70 years before Harry Potter.
“It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ into a film,” Rowling said Thursday morning in a press release. “The idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of ‘Fantastic Beasts’, realized by another writer was difficult.”
Scamander was mentioned in JK Rowling’s first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” as one of Hogwarts’ respected former headmasters. Also, Scamander’s grandson, Rolf, married Luna Lovegood.
In addition to the movie, Warner Bros. will develop video games, consumer products, and other items based on the film series. New theme park attractions and a television mini-series based on “The Casual Vacancy” are in the making as well. The ‘Harry Potter’ films have already generated billions of dollars for the company.
“I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about,” Rowling said. “This is it.”
