GO! To the Movies: Magic strikes again in J.K. Rowling universe
Before there was Harry Potter there was Newt Scamander, a member of a secret community of wizards. His story will be told in the film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them” in theaters this weekend.
In 1926, Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” and “The Danish Girl”), whose books were used as a textbook at Hogwarts during Potter’s time, has been traveling the globe to find and document magical creatures.
While Scamander is taking a brief break in New York City, a non-magical human named Jacob (Dan Fogler, “Kung Fu Panda” and “Balls of Fury”), Scamander losing his enchanted case and the escape of some of the magical creatures threatens to wreck havoc in both the non-magical and magical worlds.
Just like the “Harry Potter” books, J.K. Rowling was the author of the book that the film was based on.
Redmayne, said during his appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” that J.K. Rowling not only has a knack for writing books, but for script writing as well.
“The amazing thing about J.K. Rowling is oftentimes when you read scripts, it’s just the dialogue that you see. But when you read her script, it was like reading one of her books,” he said to DeGeneres. “The intricacy of the detail, it was like you were taken back to all those things that you kind of love in ‘Potter’ films, but now in the world of New York in the jazz age, prohibition (era).”
Earlier this fall, a big surprise happened when it was announced instead of this film being the first of a trilogy, it has been optioned by Warner Bros. to be part of a five picture deal.
“She always had a specific story she wanted to tell, which goes much further beyond just Newt and his case,” said Redmayne during the same interview. “Be we didn’t realize it was going to be five films.”
Fans of the “Harry Potter” series of books and films, might be surprised to see a some-what familiar face in the second “Fantastic Beasts” film.
David Yates, the director of the film, said that he is currently on the lookout for someone for the role of the much younger version of a famed wizard.
“In the second movie Dumbledore comes back. He’s got a couple of good scenes with Newt … We’re discussing who would play Dumbledore, any suggestions would be good,” he said during an interview with the website Screen Rant.
The film is rated PG-13 for some fantasy action violence.
Other films coming to theaters this weekend include:
n “A Street Cat Named Bob” starring Bob the Cat, Luke Treadawy and Ruta Gedmintas and directed by Roger Spottiswoode in this biographic film based on a the true life novel of a street hustler and recovering drug addict who had his life changed by a stray cat.
The film is unrated.
n “The Edge of Seventeen” starring Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson and Blake Jenner and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig in this comedic drama about a high-school girl whose life gets more challenging once her best friend starts dating her older brother.
The film is rated R for sexual content, language and some drinking – all involving teens.
“Manchester by the Sea” starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and Kyle Chandler and directed by Kenneth Lonergan in this drama about an uncle who takes care of his teenage nephew after his father dies.
The film is rated R for language throughout and some sexual content.