What was the title of the first film written by J.K. Rowling?

J.K. Rowling’s first film screenplay was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The film was released in 2016 and marked Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is set in the wizarding world but takes place decades before the Harry Potter story. The central character is Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who arrives in New York in 1926 with a case containing magical creatures.

The title comes from a Hogwarts textbook mentioned in the original novels. Rowling had previously published a charity companion book titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2001, but the film is a new narrative rather than a direct adaptation of that short textbook-style work.

The movie stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt and was directed by David Yates, who had directed several Harry Potter films. It launched a planned prequel film series and expanded the setting beyond Harry’s school years and Britain.