Thursday 12 September 2013

Fantastic News and Where to Squee About It

It's hard to type through the SQUEE we're feeling at the news that J.K. Rowling is partnering with WB to write a series of films based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the series she wrote for Comic Relief UK back in 2001.

Yes, she's writing films set in the Wizarding World circa 1920, in New York and elsewhere, and here's what the lady herself had to say:

“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen 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.
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 favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.
As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.
I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.”
We think the first film says it best:
We at FA have been fans of Fantastic Beasts since it was first published, and if you want to check out some classic fanworks, follow these links:
ArtisticAlley
Fanfic on all four houses
Discussions in FictionAlley Park

We don't have release date (or even casting) information yet, but we feel like we've had far too much Pepper-Up Potion as we contemplate not just the film (and the tie-in novel, and the merchandise, and the gifs!) but also the inspiration that it will be for fanworks of all types.

Always, Harry Potter.

Always.