Which screenwriting project did J.K. Rowling make her screenwriting debut with?
Answer
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
J.K. Rowling made her screenwriting debut with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The 2016 film was written by Rowling and directed by David Yates. It is set in 1926, decades before the main Harry Potter story, and follows magizoologist Newt Scamander after he arrives in New York with a case containing magical creatures. Eddie Redmayne plays Newt, with Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, and Alison Sudol in major roles.
The film expands the wizarding world beyond Britain and Hogwarts. Its screenplay was inspired by Rowling’s 2001 companion book of the same name, which is presented as a textbook associated with Harry Potter. The film is not a direct adaptation of a conventional narrative novel; Rowling created the screenplay as an original story.
Fantastic Beasts began a planned film series, followed by The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018 and The Secrets of Dumbledore in 2022. The project is distinct from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is a stage play.