Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

It’s been several years since Muggles had any major new Harry Potter content to enjoy, but after a brief dry period, J.K. Rowling’s world of magic is on the verge of a major comeback. (And just in time; I was beginning to regret this lightning bolt tattoo I got on my forehead.) Potter himself returns in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a two-part West End stage play based on a story by Rowling, and the HPCU (that’s “Harry Potter Cinematic Universe,” y’all, c’mon) returns to big screens this fall with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a prequel to the main Potter franchises based on another book by Rowling.

Warner Bros. has unveiled a special treat for Harry Potter fans this weekend with this new behind-the-scenes featurette from the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which promises a wild, magical and awe-inspiring new adventure. The film marks the screenwriting debut of Potter author J.K. Rowling, whose praises are sung quite fondly in this new video.

It’s officially 2016. Our Best of 2015 lists have all been published and the new year is upon us, which means it’s time to start looking to the future. Yes, 2015 was a particularly good year for movie fans, but 2016 looks pretty impressive too. You like Coen Bros. movies? We got one of those. You like Star Wars? Yup, one of those too. Critically acclaimed horror movies? Sure. Pixar? Of course. Movies where your favorite superheroes beat the crap out of each other? WE GOT TWO OF THOSE. We put together a quick list of the 25 movies — a mix of both blockbusters and indies — that we can’t wait to see next year. This will probably change as the year goes on (our 2015 list included Jupiter Ascending, Aloha and Tomorrowland so we’re not perfect), but based on what we know right now, this is it. Here are the movies we’re looking forward to the most in 2016, in the order of release date (those with no release date are listed in alphabetical order).

You have approximately 11 more months of websites using cute headlines that play on the title of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as in “Fantastic Beasts Finds a New Trailer” or “Where to Find a Fantastic Photo of Eddie Redmayne in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Answer: right here. Also: sorry in advance for all the silly headlines.

The upcoming Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is still almost a year away, but with Star Wars: The Force Awakens almost here, everyone is scrambling to get their big trailers attached to the biggest movie of the year. Fantastic Beasts is no exception and today we get our first look at the continuation of the Wizarding World. The only problem? It’s not much of a look.

As far as these “teaser for the teaser trailer” things go, the “announcement trailer” for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a welcome change of pace. Featuring absolutely zero footage and with no hint of smug indulgence, this simple but elegant tease from Warner Bros. has us more excited about the first trailer for the upcoming film than one of those typical, obnoxious teaser-for-the-teaser-for-the-trailer videos would. Good job, WB.

Although Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them takes place in the Harry Potter universe (and is a prequel of sorts) and boasts franchise vet David Yates as director, it’s still not clear exactly how much the new film will look or feel like the cinematic world of Harry Potter. According to producer David Heyman, Fantastic Beasts will indeed evoke the Harry potter films — or at least one of them specifically, anyway.

Last week brought our first look at Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the start of a new trilogy of Harry Potter spinoffs centering on Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander, a magizoologist and author of the Fantastic Beasts textbook studied at Hogwarts. Today brings an even better look at Redmayne and bewitching co-stars Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol via new high-res photos from the film.

Dear Muggles, don’t worry. You’re not gone forever.

Over the last couple of days we’ve seen the first images from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as plot and character details to help better acquaint us with the Harry Potter spinoff. Today brings even more news from the world of Fantastic Beasts, with a list of a few of those beasts we can expect to find when the film hits theaters next fall.