J.K. Rowling’s first Fantastic Beasts screenplay appeared in 2016.
The screenplay was written by Rowling for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a film released in November 2016. The story is set in the wizarding world but takes place decades before Harry Potter’s school years and begins in New York City in 1926.
The central character is Newt Scamander, a magizoologist whose magical creatures escape from his case. The film expands the fictional background of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a short companion book first published in 2001 for charity under Harry Potter’s name.
The 2016 film marked Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It was followed by Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018 and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in 2022. The film series therefore differs from the original Harry Potter film adaptations, which were based on published novels.