 |
Fantastic Beasts andWhere to Find Them (film) |
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an upcoming British drama fantasy action film directed by David Yates and written by J. K. Rowling (in her screenwriting debut), inspired by Rowling's book of the same name. It stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Samantha Morton, Ezra Miller, Ron Perlman, Jon Voight, and Johnny Depp.
A spin-off, the film will be the first installment of a series of five films. It is intended to be the ninth film installment (and the tenth overall installment, including the two-part stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, a new entertainment brand and cinematic universe founded by Rowling and acquired by Warner Bros., showcasing different genres, and depicting different cultures, time periods, political conflicts, and wars in various Wizarding societies around the globe. Principal photography commenced on 17 August 2015, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is scheduled to be released worldwide on 18 November 2016 in the 3D, IMAX 4K Laser and other large format theatres.
Development
First announced in September 2013, the project marks Rowling's debut as a screenwriter.[19] The film sees the return of producer David Heyman, as well as writer Steve Kloves, both veterans of the Potter film franchise.[20] After Alfonso Cuarón declined involvement,[21][22] Warner Bros. announced that David Yates would direct at least the first instalment of a planned trilogy.[23] James Newton Howard was contracted to compose the score.[24]Pre-production
Eddie Redmayne was cast in the lead role of Newt Scamander, the Wizarding World's preeminent magizoologist, in June 2015.[3] Matt Smith and Nicholas Hoult were also considered.[25][26] Alison Sudol, in her feature film debut, and Katherine Waterston were subsequently chosen to play the witch sisters Queenie and Tina.[4][7] Ezra Miller and Colin Farrell joined the cast as the wizards Credence and Graves,[8][12] while comedian Dan Fogler was cast as Jacob, a non-magical person whom Newt befriends.[11] Following thousands of auditions in an open casting call, ten-year-old Faith Wood-Blagrove was chosen for the part of Modesty.[15] Jenn Murray signed on to star as Chastity,[16] and Samantha Morton was cast as Mary Lou.[9] Jon Voight, Gemma Chan, Carmen Ejogo and Ron Perlman were cast in unnamed roles.[13][14]Michael Gambon, who played Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter series was desperate to star in the spin-off.[27]
Filming
Principal photography on the film commenced on 17 August 2015, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden.[9][10][28][29] Several scenes were also shot on location in London.[30] After two months, the production moved to St George's Hall in Liverpool, which was transformed into 1920s New York.[31] Filming concluded on 28 January 2016.[citation needed]Johnny Depp filmed some scenes at the studio for two days.[18]
Music
On 9 April 2016, it was announced that James Newton Howard would write and compose the film's score.[32] On 24 October, Pottermore published an official first look at the film's main theme composed by Howard.[33] The main theme will incorporate John Williams' themes from earlier films. The soundtrack will be released by WaterTower Music on 18 November 2016.[34]Release
The film will be released on 18 November 2016, in 3D, in the UK and US, and the new IMAX 4K Laser system.[3][35] It will premiere one day earlier in a number of other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany and Italy, on 17 November.Promotion
WB Games is set to release a "story pack" based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for the video game Lego Dimensions. The pack will include a constructible model of MACUSA, figures of Newt Scamander and a Niffler, and a six-level game campaign that adapts the film's events. The pack is set to be released on the same day as the film, alongside a "fun pack" containing figures of Tina Goldstein and a Swooping Evil. The cast of the film reprises their roles in the game.Marketing
On 4 November 2015, Entertainment Weekly released the first official publicity shots of the film, containing pictures of characters Newt, Tina, and Queenie, and production and filming being held in various sets designed to mirror 1920's New York City. On 10 December 2015, it was announced that an "announcement trailer" would be released five days later, on 15 December.[36] Along with the one-minute trailer, a teaser poster was released.[37][38]During "A Celebration of Harry Potter" at Universal Orlando Resort in February 2016, a featurette was released showcasing several interviews with various cast and crew members, as well as the first official behind-the-scenes footage.
Rowling has also released four pieces of writing exclusively as an introduction to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, titled History of Magic in North America. It includes information about scourers, brutal and violent magical mercenaries who played a big role in the historic Salem witch trials of the 1600s, as well as info about various American wand makers, the role magic played in World War One, Native American magic, the foundation of MACUSA, the way No-Maj/Wizarding segregation was enforced brutally after a violent and terrifying breach of the international statute of secrecy and the institution of Rappaports Law, and life in 1920's Wizarding America, with info about Wand Permits and Prohibition.
On 10 April 2016, the first "teaser trailer" was released during the MTV Movie Awards.[39]
On 26 April 2016, it was announced that the film's script will be released in the form of a book on November 19.[40]
More visual publicity for the film was released at CineEurope and VidCon on 23 June. A new featurette entitled "A New Hero" was released later in the day, and a well received test screening was held in Chicago at the end of July, with viewers praising the complex plot line, the emotion, and the darkness at the heart of the story.
A third Art-Deco/German Expressionist-style poster was revealed at Comic-Con. Interactive wand stations have appeared at both VidCon and Comic-Con conventions. A new trailer for the film was unveiled at Warner Bros.' Comic-Con Hall H panel shortly after an interview with members of the cast. A quick-to-sell-out signing took place shortly thereafter.
Rowling released a second part to her History of Magic in North America series, entitled "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," which details the founding of the preeminent American Wizarding academy and allows users to sort themselves into one of the four houses of the school. The school apparently has a very minor role in the film.
On 10 August, more information and publicity shots for the film were released through Entertainment Weekly, with new information on Ezra Miller's character Credence Barebone and the news that Zoe Kravitz would have a role in the series. New images released include the quartet running down a New York City alleyway, David Yates chatting to stars Katherine Waterston and Eddie Redmayne on the set in front of a blown out Subway station, Colin Farrell's character Percival Graves interrogating an arrested and handcuffed Newt, and Graves and Credence putting up anti-magic propaganda.
Beginning in the month of September, more news was released on the various tie-in books being released for the film. On 28 September, the final trailer for the film officially premiered via EllenTube, quickly becoming the most viewed film trailer of the year to date. Not long after, an announcement was made that a global fan event would be held in London and Los Angeles, as well as a number of other cities worldwide, on 13 October. A live Q&A was held and more new footage from the film was revealed. Visitors were treated to the first seven minutes of the film and were also invited to stay for the first film of the Harry Potter franchise in IMAX, the start of a marketing push that saw all 8 films return to IMAX theaters internationally for one week leading up to the release of Fantastic Beasts. Due to demand, the fan event was expanded to a number of other US and international locations.
{[['
']]}
']]}
