By Jamie Paradis ’20, Staff Writer

Finally, Harry Potter fans everywhere can celebrate! JK Rowling’s new movie series, led by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,  will hit theaters on November 18, 2016. The film is based on Rowling’s 2001 book which explains all of the magical creatures found in the wizarding world, and is supposed to be based on one of Harry’s textbooks at Hogwarts. It’s an interesting story within a story and is now being brought to life by The Warner Brothers.  

Since the book is not a novel but rather an encyclopedia, the movie will follow the story of the magizoologist, Newt Scamander, who “wrote” the textbook. It is set 70 years before the Harry Potter series in 1926. This film will be set in NYC instead of London.

The cast is filled with familiar and popular stars. Eddie Redmayne from The Danish Girl will play Newt Scamander. The movie tells us that he attended Hogwarts in 1908-1915 and was in the Hufflepuff House. When she found out that Eddie Redmayne would star in the movie, Aryana Aziz ’18 shouted, “I am definitely seeing the movie then! I love Eddie Redmayne.” Another character named Porpentina Goldstein is played by Katherine Waterson, who was popular for her role in Steve Jobs. She is one of Newt’s colleagues.

So far, four trailers and a behind-the-scenes interview video have been released. The movie seems action-packed and intense. The trailer mixed humor and drama with several references to the Harry Potter series that will make it familiar to fans. It is similar in style to the first few Harry Potter movies as it is comedic and suspenseful, but still not as dark as the later movies in the series. One major difference is the focus on adults in the magic world rather than students, which will be an interesting adjustment for viewers.

As the title suggests, the movie will be filled with plentiful creatures.  The Warner Brothers will likely do an incredible job bringing these beasts to life through vivid and engaging special effects. As eerie and spooky this movie is set out to be, it is still, surprisingly, closely related to real American history. A big part of the grounding plot will reference the Salem Witch Trials, an epic part of Massachusetts’s history, to increase the anxiety that wizards and witches have of being discovered by their muggle counterparts.

Die-hard fans of the Harry Potter series may have the same worries as Lucas Rich ‘20. When asked to provide his opinions on the new movie, he said, “I’m looking forward to it but I don’t think it will compete with the previous movies.” As highly anticipated as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is, many fans of J.K. Rowling are nervous that this upcoming film will somehow taint the memory of the beloved Harry Potter films.  

Unlike other Rowling fans, I believe that this film is going to be a huge hit, and due to the success of previous movies in its franchise, you, too, can be confident that it will be! Rowling certainly has high expectations for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,  and she has updated fans on the release date of four following films in the series; the last installment is set to be released in November of 2024. For now, anybody who enjoys Harry Potter, magic, or any great film, should check out the movie next month!Drawing courtesy of Justine Seo ’19