What was the first Fantastic Beasts screenplay written by J.K. Rowling?
Answer
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the first Fantastic Beasts screenplay written by J.K. Rowling.
Published as a screenplay in 2016, it was also the basis for the first film in the Fantastic Beasts series. The story is set in 1926, decades before Harry Potter’s time, and follows magizoologist Newt Scamander in New York City.
The screenplay expands a fictional Hogwarts textbook credited to Newt Scamander. Rowling had previously published a short companion book with that title in 2001, benefiting Comic Relief, but the 2016 screenplay tells a new narrative rather than reproducing the textbook.
The film was directed by David Yates and starred Eddie Redmayne as Newt. Its sequels were The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Secrets of Dumbledore, released in 2018 and 2022 respectively.