Harry Potter - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Movie Discussion #1: The story begins in New York 70 years before Harry Potter.

***L i N d $ @ y*** · 09-13-2013, 06:05 AM

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2001 book written by British author J. K. Rowling about the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. It purports to be Harry Potter's copy of the textbook of the same name mentioned in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first novel of the Harry Potter series.

In a 2001 interview with publisher Scholastic, Rowling stated that she chose the subject of magical creatures because it was a fun topic for which she had already developed a lot of information in earlier books. Rowling's name does not appear on the cover of the book, the work being credited under the pseudonym "Newt Scamander".

The book benefits the charity Comic Relief. Over 80% of the cover price of each book sold goes directly to poor children in various places around the world. According to Comic Relief, sales from this book and its companion Quidditch Through the Ages have raised over £17 million.

On September 12, 2013, Warner Bros and Rowling announced they will be producing a new film series, set in the magical world of Harry Potter, inspired by the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them". Rowling herself will be the screenwriter. She came up with a plan for a movie after Warner Bros suggested the idea. The story will feature Newt Scamander as a main character and will not be a sequel or a prequel to the Potter adventures, but will kick off in New York, 70 years before Harry’s story starts.

Professor Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander, Order of Merlin, Second Class, (1897—1991/1992), was a famed Magizoologist and author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scamander developed an interest in magical creatures early in life, influenced by his mother's breeding of hippogriffs. After attending, and graduating from, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scamander joined the Ministry of Magic. After spending two years in the Office for House-Elf Relocation, Scamander joined the Beast Division and put his knowledge of magical beasts to good use. In 1918, Scamander was commissioned by Augustus Worme of Obscurus Books to write Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The book became a best seller, making Scamander a respected expert in the field of Magizoology, which also led to an appointment as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In his personal life, Scamander married a woman named Porpentina, and fathered at least one child. By the beginning of the 1990s, Scamander was retired and living in Dorset. Professor Scamander would eventually die between 31 July, 1991 and 18 December, 1992.

CAST:

Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scramander, An eccentric globe-hopping English “magizoologist” wizard who’s far more comfortable around beasts and creatures than he is around other people. Comes to New York on a quest with his case full of magical habitats containing rare and endangered species.

Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein, played by Katherine Waterston: An ambitious worker at the Magical Congress of the United States of America [aka MACUSA, the U.S. version of the Ministry of Magic] who meets Newt. Tina is relegated to an office well below her abilities after she stood up for the wrong person. She longs to fight for what’s right.

Queenie Goldstein, played by Alison Sudol: Tina’s younger sister and roommate, a big-hearted free-spirit “legilimens” who can read minds.

Jacob Kowalski, played by Dan Fogler: An optimistic No-Maj factory worker/aspiring baker who gets introduced to the wizarding world when he meets Newt.

Percival Graves, played by Colin Farrell: A powerful auror and the right-hand man of the American wizarding world’s president.

Credence, played by Ezra Miller: Perhaps the cast’s most mysterious character. He’s Mary Lou’s troubled adopted son.

Mary Lou, played by Samantha Morton: The narrow-minded leader of the fanatical Second Salemers, a group looking to expose and destroy wizards and witches.

"Eccentric magizoologist Newt Scamander (Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne) comes to New York (for a reason we won’t disclose) with his trusty weathered case. This case is one of those way-way-way-bigger-on-the-inside magical devices, and within are expansive habitats for a collection of rare and endangered magical creatures from Newt’s travels around globe. He discovers the American wizarding community is fearfully hiding from Muggles (who are called “No-Maj” in the States ... ) and the threat of public exposure is an even graver concern than in the UK (remember the Salem witch trials?). Fantastic Beasts is the story of what happens when this uniquely skilled English wizard travels to wiz-phobic America and a variety of his creatures, some quite dangerous … get out of their case."

A Few Reminders:

1. We know very little about the movie yet so any news related stories should be posted here.
2. We can discuss the book and the movie itself on this thread.
3. Any spoilers we may encounter as early as now, please post under appropriate tags.
4. We are allowed to theorize & speculate on this thread.

RELEASE DATE (of first movie): November 18, 2016

What we know (so far):

Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston have been cast

It's based on Rowling's book of the same name

It will be a trilogy of "megamovies"

The screenplay is being written by J.K. Rowling, produced Steve Kloves & David Heyman, and directed by David Yates

It's neither a prequel nor a sequel to Harry Potter so it won't star any familiar wizards

1, 2 and 3 will hit cinema screens in 2016, 2018 and 2020, respectively

It's being filmed in the UK

Also some more info here: So what do we ACTUALLY know about the “Fantastic Beasts” film? | MuggleNet

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FantasticBeasts

Related News:

J.K. Rowling returns to Potter's world - CNN.com
'Fantastic Beasts': Here's what we want from J.K. Rowling script | PopWatch | EW.com
What Might the New Harry Potter Movie Look Like? -- Vulture
J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' Spinoff Film Planned By Warner Bros.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Everything We Know About J.K. Rowling’s New Potterverse Screenplay | TIME.com

DigificWriter · 09-13-2013, 06:45 AM

Given when Newt was born and when this is set (1920s in New York), JKR is more than likely going to have to rework/rewrite/retcon a lot of the information she's already given us concerning him, so I'd delete all of the biographical info on him from the OP.

I'd also suggest confining this strictly to movie discussion because, as I've already said several times, this project isn't an adaptation, but an entirely original work that, as of now, happens to share the title of the book.

This project really represents a neat opportunity for Jo because it's her first screeniriting gig as well as a chance to tell brand-new entirely original stories in the HP universe without retreading old ground.

**baileycat** · 09-13-2013, 02:20 PM

The content of the books (regarding the details of these fantastical creatures) are still relevant as is JKR's previous synopsis of his life. The structure of the film is unknown so to ignore and delete what little we have would seem unwise at this point. She's certainly allowed to rewrite it if she so desires but I seriously doubt she'll scrap what she has and start anew. She's known for writing extensive back stories about characters lives event though they'd never make it into the books because she wanted to make sure once she finished she knew everyone inside and out, which made telling the Potter story easier in the end. So there's an excellent chance that she has already written Newt's life in depth and the screenwriting job will allow her to 'fill in the holes' as it were. Taking a screenwriting challenge might not have been such a scary thing to tackle if she had the confidence in knowing her character's direction in her back pocket already.

I'm excited to see the result!

AND its going to be a franchise with all the trimmings and extras...
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...ra-were-628403

Quote:

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara touted the studio's new partnership with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling Thursday.

“The hope is that we’re going to build a film franchise” that will impact a lot of the studio's businesses, Tsujihara told a room full of Wall Street analysts.

Tsujihara made the comments at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2013 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in Beverly Hills.

Rowling’s movies will feature Newt Scamander, who is portrayed in the Harry Potter books as the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a Hogwart’s textbook. The films will be set -- at the outset, at least --70 years prior to Harry Potter.

Tsujihara said Fantastic Beasts won’t only be a film series, but also a video game and an attraction within the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at theme parks run by Universal Parks and Resorts.

He wouldn't commit to more than one film, but made it clear that the intent is for it to draw a big audience and warrant sequels and a franchise tag. He called the project "incredibly important."

***L i N d $ @ y*** · 09-13-2013, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigificWriter (View Post)

Given when Newt was born and when this is set (1920s in New York), JKR is more than likely going to have to rework/rewrite/retcon a lot of the information she's already given us concerning him, so I'd delete all of the biographical info on him from the OP.

It'll have to stay for now and we'll just change it along the way as we get more information from the movie soon.

Quote:

I'd also suggest confining this strictly to movie discussion because, as I've already said several times, this project isn't an adaptation, but an entirely original work that, as of now, happens to share the title of the book.

I think it's okay to talk about the book for now as we have zero information about the movie. And we can also talk about the book which can have possible plot theories we can formulate for the movie as some of the links I've already posted above have done.

I am so excited about this. I know Jo was hesitant but I understand her reasons for not wanting another writer to pen the screenplay as this is her vision. And just like HP, this movie will also have a theme park tie-in and video game version.

I'm also enjoying reading everything regarding possible casts they want for the movie. I think it's possible we might see a young Dumbledore as we know he's friends with Newt.

Warner Bros. CEO says "Fantastic Beasts" will expand to games, theme park attraction - SnitchSeeker.com

DigificWriter · 09-13-2013, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baileycat (View Post)

The content of the books (regarding the details of these fantastical creatures) are still relevant as is JKR's previous synopsis of his life. The structure of the film is unknown so to ignore and delete what little we have would seem unwise at this point. She's certainly allowed to rewrite it if she so desires but I seriously doubt she'll scrap what she has and start anew. She's known for writing extensive back stories about characters lives event though they'd never make it into the books because she wanted to make sure once she finished she knew everyone inside and out, which made telling the Potter story easier in the end. So there's an excellent chance that she has already written Newt's life in depth and the screenwriting job will allow her to 'fill in the holes' as it were. Taking a screenwriting challenge might not have been such a scary thing to tackle if she had the confidence in knowing her character's direction in her back pocket already.

Newt was said to have been Headmaster of Hogwarts BEFORE Armando Dippet, but that's not going to work out in terms of when he (Newt) was born and the time period in which this new franchise is going to be set (the 1920s).

**baileycat** · 09-14-2013, 04:42 AM

They said it would START in the 1920s. That doesn't mean they STAY in the 1920s. If he wrote the book in 1918 that would have to mean a lot of his discoveries and adventures would have to take place before that time in order for him to collect enough research and facts for a textbook. So there's a chance the film might show Newt recalling his past as a child and all the fun that came with exploring. His later years and that timeline might not even be touched.

DigificWriter · 09-14-2013, 05:59 AM

^ The book was commissioned in 1918, but wasn't published until 1927. In the 1920s, Scamander would be in his early 20s and in the process of writing the book.

The biggest issue is the question of when he would've been Headmaster. Dippet became Headmaster sometime in the early 20th Century, and remained in that position until Dumbledore accepted it in 1956. If Scamander is to have been Headmaster, his tenure needs to precede Dippet's, but, according to the timeline as Jo herself has outlined it, there really isn't all that much time for him to have been Headmaster AND written the book, so she's going to have to do some rather significant retconning in order to make things make sense.

***L i N d $ @ y*** · 09-14-2013, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigificWriter (View Post)

Newt was said to have been Headmaster of Hogwarts BEFORE Armando Dippet, but that's not going to work out in terms of when he (Newt) was born and the time period in which this new franchise is going to be set (the 1920s).

From what I've read so far, Dippet was headmaster around the 1940's and around this time (from what little background we know of Newt), Scamander worked for the Ministry. I'm not entirely sure when he was appointed Headmaster at Hogwarts and for how long but Dumbledore was Dippet's successor.

Based on what we do know, he began work on this book in 1918 but the movie will start in 1920 so by this time, we're already 2 years into Newt's adventures and in New York, outside of the usual Wizarding World we know. So Jo might have some 'fixing' to do on her part on how to tell this story. We also need to do a backtrack on what exactly happened to the HP universe in the 1920's and which characters we might encounter in this period.

DigificWriter · 09-15-2013, 09:36 AM

Here's what we know about Dippet for sure:
1) He became Headmaster during 'the early 20th Century' (see The Tales of Beedle the Bard)
2) He placed Professor Sylvanus Kettleburn on sixty-two periods of probation (see The Tales of Beedle the Bard)
3) Horace Slughorn was familiar enough with him to make a joke about his proclivities when it came to governing the school, likely indicating that he served as a staff member while Dippet was Headmaster
4) He was succeeded as Headmaster by Albus Dumbledore (see The Half-Blood Prince)
5) He was falsely accused of the 'Flying Ford Anglia' incident (see Chamber of Secrets)
6) He died in 1992
7) He banned all pantomimes at Hogwarts after a disastrous performance of The Fountain of Fair Fortune (see The Tales of Beedle the Bard)
8) He was Headmaster during Tom Riddle's years at Hogwarts during the 1940s and, like most of the other staff members, was charmed by him

***L i N d $ @ y*** · 09-15-2013, 11:33 PM

I wonder if we will see Dippet in this movie. And I hope we also get to see a young Grindewald and Aberforth.

Here's another link for some more ideas on what we know so far: J.K. Rowling movie deal: 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' - 10 things to know - Zap2it

For more updates, we can also check JKR's facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/JKRowling/

GoddessofYouth · 09-16-2013, 09:52 PM

Thanks for all the links.

I'm really excited about this movie.

I think I figured out when Newt was headmaster (without it contradicting any information we already have). I have a hard time believing anyone under the age of 39 or 40 was ever headmaster. My best guess is that he was headmaster between September 1937 and June 1941. That would give Armando Dippet a year to get used to being headmaster before the Chamber of Secrets opened in the 1942-1943 school year.

My second theory is that Professor Dippet was headmaster both before & after Newton Scamander. According to Harry Potter wikia, Dippet was born in 1637. (They found that date in a screen shot of a newspaper article about the flying car in the CoS movie.) He would've been close to 300 years old in September 1937. Maybe he retired during the time Scamander was headmaster, but then decided retirement life wasn't for him. Then, when Scamander stepped down, he reapplied.

***L i N d $ @ y*** · 09-16-2013, 11:58 PM

Great theories, Emily.

I think the years that you think Newt became headmaster of Hogwarts is quite possible. As for your second theory, my only question would be why he would retire and then re-apply again?

Also, I'm wondering the years this movie will cover. Tom Riddle is born 1926 but he's more part of Harry Potter's life later on that makes me think he will not be mentioned or seen on this movie. Also this is in New York (at least where it starts off) so we'll probably get more new characters than revisit old ones.

As for casting, we need a young Newt to play this role. Preferably British. I've seen a lot of dream casts already but I still haven't warmed up to the choices I'm seeing so far.

Another article from Empire Online with very interesting speculations: Wild Speculation, Based On Fact, About Harry Potter Spin-Off Fantastic Beasts | Features | Empire

**baileycat** · 09-17-2013, 03:46 AM

I can't see the movie touching anything beyond the 1920s. So I really don't think his headmaster appointment will be even addressed. It will be a movie that appeals to kids and teens so Newt will most likely be in his early 20s. Out of Hogwarts so we'll never have to see the school again. Therefore avoiding a Potter comparison.

Potter producer David Heyman talks about the project
http://www.hypable.com/2013/09/16/ha...yman-comments/

**sweet creature** · 09-17-2013, 03:25 PM

I never saw this coming, but this is very exciting news.

This gifset is one of the best ones I've seen.

GoddessofYouth · 09-17-2013, 08:57 PM

I love that gif set you linked, Catia!

Lindsay, I think Professor Dippet decided that he wasn't ready for life as a retired person. I'm guessing a lot of Ministry people thought he was too old for the job, & that's why he had to re-apply. Or maybe, he decided to take a sabbatical 4 years in a row & didn't have to re-apply.

The David Heyman interview was interesting. Thanks for posting it.

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Fan Forum > Sci-Fi/Fantasy > Harry Potter > Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Movie Discussion #1: The story begins in New York 70 years before Harry Potter.