'Harry Potter' spin-off movie series announced, written by J.K. Rowling

The wizarding world of Harry Potter is coming back to the big screen through a new spin-off movie written by J.K. Rowling herself. The movie will be set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter, and will follow the adventures of Newt Scamander. For big fans, Scamander's name may be familiar — in the original series, he was the author of a textbook called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which Harry was required to buy. The textbook's title is serving as the name for the upcoming picture as well. Warner Bros. announced the new film this morning, saying that it would be the first in a whole new series, and that some familiar characters and creatures could turn up once again.

"I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about," Rowling says in a statement, "and this is it." Scamander's story will begin in New York, rather than London as in the original series, but Rowling says that all of the laws and customs that relate to hidden magical societies should remain familiar. The new film's events otherwise won't have a direct relationship to the events of Harry Potter, and should instead stand on their own. Though the original film series was adapted from Rowling's novels, this will be the first movie produced from a screenplay that she wrote herself.

:story: The Verge