Watch the First Trailer for ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’

Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander. (Photo: Warner Bros.)
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander. (Photo: Warner Bros.)
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander. (Photo: Warner Bros.)

The teaser trailer for the highly anticipated Harry Potter spinoff/sort-of prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has been released, and while it may not give much of anything away regarding the film’s characters or plot, if you – or anyone you know – happen to be a Potter fanatic, you’re going to be screaming about it anyway.

Oscar winner and general British acting darling of the moment Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, a “magizoologist” who eventually authors the famous Hogwarts textbook that gives the film its name.

Fantastic Beasts is set 70 years before the events chronicled in the Potter novels, and follows the adventures of Scamander as he travels about the Wizarding World documenting the different strange and magical creatures he encounters. The book he writes about these travels will be studied years later by Hogwarts students, including Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Of course, since this is being billed as an “announcement trailer”, it shows you virtually nothing, beyond the fact that Redmayne is in a movie, it has something to do with a suitcase and there’s a bunch of cool, swirly text. That doesn’t matter much, though, since its sole purpose is basically to tell the world that Fantastic Beasts a.) exists and b.) is somehow part of the Wizarding World of author J.K. Rowling, which means that it’s at least vaguely connected to Harry Potter.

Watch for yourselves below: 

It should be stressed, however, that this film is technically not a prequel, sequel or any other component of the megapopular Potter novels. It’s just set in the same universe. So, don’t go into this expecting cheeky cameos from characters who grow up to be a Hogwarts Professor or one of the Marauders. (If you must get your hopes up, Albus Dumbledore was at least alive during this time period.)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is currently scheduled to hit theaters on November 18, 2016. 

Will you be planning to see it? 


Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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