Which screenplay was J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut?
Answer
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut.
Released in 2016, the film was inspired by Rowling’s 2001 Hogwarts textbook-style companion book of the same title. Unlike that short fictional textbook, the film presents an original story centered on Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who arrives in 1920s New York with a case full of magical creatures.
Rowling wrote the screenplay, making it her first produced film script. David Yates directed the movie, while Eddie Redmayne played Newt Scamander. The film expanded the wizarding world beyond Harry’s school years and introduced a new series of characters and historical settings.
The title can be confused with The Crimes of Grindelwald, the second film in the series, which also had a screenplay by Rowling. The 2016 film is the correct answer because it came first and marked her screenwriting debut.