J.K. Rowling’s 54-page textbook will be a movie trilogy, Warner Bros. recently announced. The decision is akin to New Line Cinema’s decision to turn The Hobbit, a 300-page novel, into a movie trilogy.
Opinions on whether or not The Hobbit worked as an impromptu trilogy vary, but the fact is that some serious finagling with the source material will be necessary if “Fantastic Beasts” is to find and keep an audience for three entire movies.
Quick disclaimer: I never read the Harry Potter books, but not for lack of want. I did, however, manage to catch the movies, making my opinion on this entire decision much more limited than any of you who are “true” fans of the Harry Potter world. Regardless, I’m having a troublesome time finding reasons to be excited about a story that doesn’t actually exist yet.
Yes, it takes place in the same world of wizards and muggles, which we all want I suppose. But who is in charge of the story, especially since we know that most of it will be made on the spot?
If Rowling has a lot to do with the project, I’m feeling quite hopeful—have you read her other book, The Casual Vacancy? It’s fantastic so far—so until more details on how Fantastic Beasts will be shaped come out, I’m not holding my breath for this new trilogy.
What do you fellow muggles think? Will this be a magical time spent in the theater, or should we be defending against the dark arts of prequels? Let me know what you think below.
Now, let’s say Rowling came up to me (fingers crossed) and asked me what I think she should do with this intricate world she has created. Again, I’m simply working off of the movies, but I’ve always been very interested in what the wizards are actually using their hard-learned magic for after attending schools like Hogwarts.
Yes, we have the Ministry of Magic and the Aurors, but it seems as if all of the jobs that require magic are simply there to prevent other people from using magic or keeping muggles out of the loop. If we were to continue the stories set in this world, I would want to explore why it’s so important for generations of wizards to maintain their traditions and become powerful sorcerers and sorceresses.
What if the wizards existed to keep the balance between nature and technology in check? The point could be that they keep to these traditions in order to protect fantastic beasts from muggles and vice-versa. They could also be working to prevent man from soiling nature with industrialization.
For all I know, this may have already been brought up in the books or debunked, but I still think it would make a fantastic story with adult wizards at the centerpiece. Exploring the fragile relationships between muggles and wizards would definitely be fascinating territory to cover, after all.
Or we could just pull from the fan art…
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Pretty sure J.K. Rowling announced she would be writing the script. I would wager she’s written a lot on the topic and that’s why there’s going to be three movies. She said she really liked this particular line (which I believe is tied to Luna’s ancestors or those of her husband).
Can you give me a link to that? I searched for something official but all I found was a comment that she will be “somewhat involved.” If she’s writing the script, however, then I guess we do have something to look forward to here.
https://www.facebook.com/JKRowling/posts/441828229259132
That is for the JK Rowling facebook page.
http://www.bbc.com/newsbeat/26151633
This says she completed the script in 12 days lol
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/30/harry-potter-spinoff-series-fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-planned-as-a-trilogy
It’s also not the textbook that the movie is necessarily being based off of. It’s the author writing the textbook. Going around and finding the beasts and such
Yes, Newt Scamander the “magizoologist.” I’ve also read that it will take place 70 years before Harry Potter movies in New York, apparently.
I thought this was confirmed a while ago, but maybe not. Pretty sure Rowling is writing the script as well, so it should be brilliant. 🙂
Hmm. I don’t know how I feel about a spinoff trilogy. I’ve read all of the books and seen all of the movies, but based on Rowling’s comments lately (about how Hermione and Ron shouldn’t have ended up together), I’m kind of torn on a spinoff. I feel like it could either be really good or really, really disappointing.
And you should definitely read the books when you get a chance. They are so well written (especially for a series) and planned. Plus, you’ll learn a lot more about Harry Potter’s world than you did from the movies. 🙂
I’m really looking forward to this. They should be good.
Jo has been saying for years she wants to return to the Wizarding World in a non-Potter-related story, and I think this is where she ended up. I’ve been a fan of the series since before they even started the first movie, so based on what I know of the world and her writing style, I am excited for anything she can come up with. Oh, and she is writing the screenplay for the film, so don’t worry, it’s not someone else. If they expanded it into a ten film franchise I would still go see every last one of them. That’s not blind following, that’s faith in Jo Rowling.
Reblogged this on Jess Sayin' and commented:
Oh my..not sure how I feel about this. One movie could be good. But three? Based on a 54 page textbook?
I have had a love affair with the “Harry Potter” books since the third grade. The THIRD GRADE. I have loved the movies as they have been released too. This series is near and dear to my heart. I fear that this new “trilogy” in the making is a ploy for more money. With the installation of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando, it just makes me wonder: is it all about money? Possibly.
What do you think? Would you be interested in a movie trilogy based on the “Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them” textbook? Do you think it’s just a money grab? Or is Rowling really trying to give her fans more to love? Take a look at Negroni’s take on this in the link above!
A TRILOGY? Really? I’m getting a head ache from all these trilogies. Come on, the Hobbit is one book one story, I want a nice movie that opens at the beginning and closes at the end, I don’t want to watch a total 9 hour movie one day in one sitting if each part goes on seemingly forever.
From what I heard of the FBAWTFT, JK Rowling is writing it, which is exciting because she’s never written a movie, so technically everything we need to know, all the details she wants in it will be there, unlike in the Harry Potter movies. I read that it’s going to be about the life of Newt Scamander, the author of Fantastic Beasts, and probably shows us him researching different magical creatures and also the early life of wizards, because it took place, I forget when but probably over a hundred years ago.
So this kind of story is interesting and I’m sure it would be asked for more movies if they didn’t announce it. So having 3 movies, expectantly long and draggy like the Hobbit in some places, will allow for every detail of JK Rowling’s to be seen to, and the details are what the fans love to see.
I’m not worried that it will be boring. JK Rowling is full of stories, and she probably could do movies for the rest of the wizarding world, but lots of the things you want to know are covered in the books anyway, so it would probably look just an attempt to make more money. Another reason it’s hard to make a modern day adult wizard is probably that this is a kids’ series, and we don’t really love watching adults as much as kids.
I think it’s going to be good, I’m excited for it as a Potterfan, but I’m really tired of this trilogy trend that’s taking off.
I don’t think it’s so much of a trilogy trend as much as breaking up the story. The last HP, Twilight, and Hunger Games books have all been split into two movies. I agree though that everything will surely be in there because Rowling is writing it.
I’m not sure I follow on the part about parts of the story already being in the books? This plot came from Jo’s ideas based on a text book she wrote up that was used by Harry. Other than the beasts we should see and that Newt Scamander is an ancestor of Luna’s husband I don’t think we know anything.
It’s not part of the Harry Potter series though, it’s an expansion on the world in which that is set. I personally think of it as an official fanfiction. It’s an unknown story, one which she could do anything she wants to and no one would complain for “changing what we know and love”.
J. K. Rowling will be Writing.
Rowling should team up with George R.R. Martin and create a complex story about the head of the Ministry of Magic dying and different factions vying for control. Some want to reveal their world to the muggles, others want to kill all Mudbloods, some want to take over the Muggle world believing themselves to be superior, others trying to keep the traditions, and whatever other motivations you can think up. If you wanted to “adult” it up, you could reveal that the Slytherin-type purists have no problem with incest to keep the bloodline pure and reveal all kinds of new spells that kill people in gory fashion. The possibilities are endless.
Mudblood Rebellion…
Cracked up at that one! 😀
I enjoyed the books… As the movie series went on I loved it more and more. Until Goblet of Fire came out. It was at that point that a lot of the movies weren’t as good as they should’ve been (I.e. Deathly Hallows/Goblet of Fire) and some of them were just as good (I.e. Order of the Phoenix/Half-blood Prince). I think as long as they have someone good behind it they might be good movies. If not… Well we always need SOMETHING to rant about LOL. P.S. I really wanted to watch Albus Potter and the Mudblood Rebellion. Just by the fan art alone it looks amazing.