Glumbumbles, hippogriffs and the Australian billywig are some of the magical beasts which could feature in three Harry Potter spin-off movies to be penned by JK Rowling.
Harry Potter might have hung up his wand three years ago with the eighth and final instalment of of the epic series, but fans can rejoice with the news of a trilogy based on Rowling’s 2001 wizard textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The book, which was published as a fundraiser for British charity Comic Relief, raising millions, purports to be one of Potter’s schoolbooks and is written by “Newt Scamander” a “magizoologist”.
The films, which will be produced by Warner Bros, are to be set in New York, 70 years before the beginning of the Harry Potter series. Details emerged about initial plans in September, but The New York Times reported at the weekend that Warner Bros chief executive Kevin Tsujihara is planning a trilogy.
Speaking about Fantastic Beasts, a 54-page book written between the fourth and fifth Potter books, Rowling has said: “Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 years, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world.”
For the record, a glumbumble is a flying insect which produces a treacle that induces melancholy when eaten. A hippogriff is a kind of half eagle-half horse beast, which individuals must bow to when approaching or face the wrath of their talons. And a billywig is a blue insect which, in common with many Australian insects, is rated extremely dangerous and can cause victims to “hover uncontrollably” for days.
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– FFX Aus
