10 things to know about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
With the release of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in November 2016, J.K. Rowling opened a new chapter of her wizarding world. Here's a bit of background on the story and its connections to the Potter universe.
Spoiler alert: There aren't any spoilers in this list that can't be found on the film's website, but if you want to go into the movie without any knowledge of the plot, we'd suggest you skip over fact number 9.
1. Set in New York in 1926, the film takes place long before Harry Potter's adventures at Hogwarts.
2. So what's the Potter connection? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a Hogwarts textbook about magical creatures that Harry Potter and his friends studied at school. While the textbook itself was little more than a charming detail in the series, the textbook's fictional author, Newt Scamander, is the protagonist of the new film.
3. This film — and the four planned sequels — will be written by J.K. Rowling. The first instalment marks her screenwriting debut.
Five. Not seven. Not three. Five.<br><br>(Got a feeling this is going to be the new 'not a prequel'). <a href="https://t.co/ZkjEeeDQjj">https://t.co/ZkjEeeDQjj</a>
—@jk_rowling4. The film is directed by David Yates, who helmed the final four Potter films.
5. Newt Scamander, portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, is an English magizoologist, who travels the world researching and documenting magical creatures.
6. Here are some of the Redmayne's fellow cast members in the film. From left: Alison Sudol plays mind-reader Queenie Goldstein, Dan Fogler plays goofy No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, Katherine Waterston stars as auror Porpentina Goldstein, Colin Farrell is the director of magical security Percival Graves and Ezra Miller is Second Salem supporter Credence.
7. American witches and wizards have a different vernacular than British ones. "Muggles" are referred to as "No-Majs."
8. The textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was written and published by J.K. Rowling. The screenplay, also written by Rowling, was released as a book on the same day as the film was released.
9. Here's a brief setup of the film (skip ahead to #10 if you don't want to know!): Anti-magic sentiment is brewing in New York as a group of fanatic No-Majs call for a "Second Salem." This is unlucky timing for Newt, who arrives in New York carrying a menagerie of wild magical creatures.
10. We've converted some reviews of the film into to OWL grades, for your convenience: CBC's Eli Glasner gives "P" for Poor, Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan awards "E" for Exceeds Expectations, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gives an "O" for Outstanding and the New Yorker's Anthony Lane awards "E" for Exceeds Expectations.