With over five years since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, fans of the wizarding world are in dire need of an update. Author J.K. Rowling has been hard at work expanding the universe beyond the adventures of Harry and his squad, with the debut of a play and a series of upcoming films. The play has received critical acclaim, and the original script, entitled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, was also released worldwide this past July. These days, fans are at rapt attention for any news surrounding the upcoming film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The title comes from one of the textbooks used by the original characters while studying at Hogwarts. But first, let’s go over five things Muggles, witches and wizards alike should know about the upcoming film.

Set in 1926, the film takes place decades before the original Harry Potter series, and follows the account of Newt Scamander. If his name sounds familiar, it should, as Scamander is the original author of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. Harry, Ron and particularly Hermione used the wild, fanged textbook for the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Eddie Redmayne, who we've also seen as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and The Danish Girl, plays the lead role. Ezra Miller will play Credence, while Colin Farrell will lend a hand playing Percival Graves. We're excited to see Zoë Kravitz in an unlisted role, along with Katherine Waterston as Porpentina Goldstein and Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery. The upcoming film will follow Newt Scamander and his adventures in New York City.

So what exactly should we expect when it comes to these fantastic beasts? Well, we were delighted to spot some sneak peeks at the creatures on the film’s main website. The Demiguise is a creature that resembles a monkey, and has been referenced in the original books. 

The fur of a Demiguise is used to create Invisibility cloaks, something Potter fans have become quite familiar with. The flying Billywig is an insect that’s native to Australia, while the Swooping Evil resembles a beefy butterfly. The Niffler is shown grasping someone's pocketbook, which shows off it’s mischievous streak. The Thunderbird looks epic in every way, looking like a gigantic hawk creature with multiple sets of wings and a long pronounced tail. We can't wait to find out more about the Occamy, which is shown stretching out like a snake-like dragon with the face of a peacock. The Graphorn is shown tending to a young one, and it certainly looks nothing short of majestic, and the Erumpent resembles a wild rhinoceros. There's also a short peek at the Nundu, which looks like a leopard but has an expanding throat, covered in spikes.

At a recent IMAX fan event in London, J.K. Rowling confirmed that this will be the first film out of a total of five films. Although the series was originally announced as being a trilogy, we can’t help but be thrilled by the prospect of seeing more of the wizarding world on the silver screen. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be released on November 18, 2016.

Written by Jade Nicolette

Twitter: @nicolette_style

http://www.fantasticbeasts.com/