The Harry Potter community is once again abuzz with the latest development in the upcoming film instalment, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". The first batch of cast photos have been officially revealed by Entertainment Weekly. The cover of this month's issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine features actor Eddie Redmayne, who stars as Newt Scamander in the film.
On the cover, Redmayne wears a blue morning coat, three-piece suit, and a black tie. He stands in front of the entrance to the Magical Congress of the United States of America, the American version of the UK Ministry of Magic. It's an art deco-inspired structure located inside the Woolworth building in New York City. He holds a briefcase in his right hand and a wand in his left.
The film is based on the 2001 book of the same title written by J.K. Rowling under the guise of Newton "Newt" Scamander. It is set in 1920s New York, 70 years before Harry Potter received his first letter of acceptance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The film follows the adventures of Newt Scamander - a magizoologist with a celebrity status, and one of the wizarding world's brilliant minds.
The book is a documented version of Scamander's experiences with a myriad of magical creatures and his tips for dealing with them. In the wizarding world, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" became a bestseller, and eventually, an approved textbook in Hogwarts. In the Harry Potter books, Harry and his friends use the textbook in their Care of Magical Creatures class.
The script is written by J.K. Rowling, which counts as her first screenplay. The director at the helm is David Yates, who also directed the last four Harry Potter films. Producers on board the film project include David Heyman, who produced all eight Harry Potter films, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, and Lionel Wigram.
The cast includes Katherine Waterston ("Steve Jobs," "Inherent Vice") as Propertina "Tina" Goldstein, Alison Sudol ("A Fine Frenzy") as Queenie Goldstein-Tina's sister, Dan Fogler ("Balls of Fury," "Kung Fu Panda") as Jacob Kowalski, and Colin Farell ("True Detective," "Total Recall") as Graves. They are joined by Ron Perlman ("Sons of Anarchy," "Hellboy"), Jon Voight ("Ray Donovan," "National Treasure"), Ezra Miller ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "Madam Bovary"), Jen Murray, Carmen Ejogo, Gemma Chan, and newcomer Faith Wood-Blagrove.
According to iDigitalTimes, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will unfold as a trilogy. Filming production is still underway. The first in the series is scheduled to be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures in 3D and IMAX on November 18, 2016.