Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures' highly anticipated featureFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Theall new adventureis set in thewizarding worldcreated byJ.K. Rowlingin her best-sellingHarry Potterbooks, which were adapted into thehighest-grossing film franchiseof all time. Filming started today, August 17, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, under the direction ofDavid Yates, who helmed the last fourHarry Potterfeature films.
Academy Award winnerEddie Redmayne(The Theory of Everything) stars as Newt Scamander, the wizarding world’s preeminent magizoologist, who stops in New York following his travels to find and document magical creatures. The story takes place years beforeHarry Potterand his friends Ron and Hermione made their way to the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft. Newt Scamander’sFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themwill become a text book that is used by the students in their studies.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them also starsKatherine Waterston(Inherent Vice) as Tina and Alison Sudol (Dig, Transparent) as Tina’s sister, Queenie, the twofemale leadsof the movie. The supporting cast includes Tony Award winnerDan Fogler(The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as Jacob;Ezra Miller(Trainwreck) as Credence; two-time Oscar nomineeSamantha Morton(In America, Sweet and Lowdown) as Mary Lou; Jenn Murray (Brooklyn) as Chastity; and young newcomer Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty. The final addition to the cast isColin Farrell(“True Detective”) as the wizardGraves.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Marks the screenwriting debut ofJ.K. Rowling. The script was inspired by her character Newt Scamander’s Hogwarts textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The film is being produced by David Heyman, producer of all eight of the blockbusterHarry Potterfeatures. He will produce alongsideJ.K. Rowling;Steve Kloves; andLionel Wigram.
Collaborating withDavid Yatesbehind the scenes are Oscar-winning director of photography Philippe Rousselot (A River Runs Through It, the Sherlock Holmes movies), three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig (The English Patient, Dangerous Liaisons, Gandhi, theHarry Potterfilms), three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha, Alice in Wonderland), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Tim Burke (Gladiator, theHarry Potterfilms), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Christian Manz (Harry Potterand the Deathly Hallows - Part 1), andDavid Yates' longtime editor Mark Day (the last four Harry Potter films). Warner Bros. Pictures has slated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on July 17, 2025.
