Which J.K. Rowling book became the basis for the 2016 film Fantastic Beasts?
Answer
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them became the basis for the 2016 film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Rowling first published Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2001 as a charity companion book to the Harry Potter series. The original edition is presented as a Hogwarts textbook by Newt Scamander, and it contains entries about magical creatures rather than a conventional novel plot.
For the film, Rowling wrote an original screenplay expanding Newt Scamander into the central character. The movie is set in 1926, decades before Harry Potter’s school years, and begins in New York City.
The companion book should not be confused with The Tales of Beedle the Bard or Quidditch Through the Ages. Those are separate Wizarding World texts with different fictional purposes.