Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

In addition to being able to do cool stuff like casting spells and flying on brooms, most wizards who can be named also have the benefit of generally being less racist.

Our Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them cover story is on stands now. Ahead are six surprising things we learned during our recent London set visit about the Harry Potter prequel coming to theaters next year. 

EW’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them cover photo is a chamber of secrets full of clues about next year’s Harry Potter prequel. We shot Oscar winning star Eddie Redmayne on a mammoth Warner Bros. stage outside London that contains the movie’s enormous MACUSA set (that’s the Magical Congress of the United States of America, as you should know by now if you’ve been following our blow-out Fantastic Beasts coverage this week).

You know there are going to be beasts — it’s right there in the title! But which beasts (or creatures, if we want to use the more polite term) should we expect in Fantastic Beasts and Where the Find Them?

Next year’s Harry Potter prequel movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has Oscar-winning star Eddie Redmayne top-lining a cast including up-and-coming Steve Jobs actress Katherine Waterston, popular draw Colin Farrell, comedic character actor Dan Fogel, and others. 

But there’s a criticism of the movie’s casting that was made after the roles were filled: There is not an actor of color among the core cast of Fantastic Beasts (the leads of the Harry Potter franchise were also white).

How do you make a movie of J.K. Rowling’s slim 2001 catalog of creatures Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?

Well, you make a faux documentary about the book’s “author” Newt Scamander tracking all sort of magical beasties. 

At least, that was Warner Bros.’ first idea. 

American wizards have a completely different word for “Muggle.” 

Next year’s Harry Potter prequel film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set in 1926 New York, where the wizarding community uses another term entirely for people without magical powers. 

Ready for your first official glimpse of something from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?

Move over Gryffindor, there’s a new house in the spotlight. 

Hufflepuff is the Hogwarts house to watch, according to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. The author tweeted on Wednesday, “This is starting to feel like the dawn of the Age of Hufflepuff.”

This is starting to feel like the dawn of the Age of Hufflepuff… #FantasticBeasts https://t.co/j4kj2nYurr

J.K. Rowling, reigning queen of giving cryptic clues on Twitter, revealed a few more details this weekend about the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.