Which film did J.K. Rowling write as the screenwriter for the 2016 wizarding-world debut?
Answer
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, released in 2016.
The film marked Rowling’s screenwriting debut and expanded the wizarding world beyond the story of Harry Potter. It follows Newt Scamander, a magizoologist whose magical creatures escape in 1920s New York. Eddie Redmayne plays Newt in the film.
The title resembles Rowling’s 2001 companion book, but the film is not a direct adaptation of that slim Hogwarts textbook. The book is presented as a reproduction of a school text, while the film uses the title for a new story with original characters and a historical setting.
The movie began a film series planned around the wider wizarding world. Its screenplay was written by Rowling, distinguishing it from the Harry Potter films, whose screenplays were adapted by other writers from her novels.