‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’: Newt Scamander, The ‘Cursed Child’ & How This All Fits With Harry Potter

Tomorrow the long-awaited continuation of the Harry Potter film series debuts nationwide. Clunky title aside, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is looking to smooth over some of the missing gaps in Wizarding World history and promises to finally introduce us to American witches and wizards. Part of the charm of the original Harry Potter films was how perfectly they brought J.K. Rowling’s popular books to life. So where does that leave the new film? What is it about? And how exactly does a caper in 1920s New York City connect to Harry, Ron, and Hermione?

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the new film series and how it fits with the ever-expanding Harry Potter universe.

What Is Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them?

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is the brand new Warner Brothers film set in the same universe as their uber-successful Harry Potter films. It takes place in New York City in 1926 and introduces us to the British magizoologist Newt Scamander, played by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne.

A magi-what-ah?

A magizoologist is a person who is an expert on magical creatures. During the time of the Harry Potter books and films, Newt Scamander is considered the most important magizoologist there is. Harry and his friends even have to read his book, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, in school.

So the whole film is based on one of Harry Potter’s fictional textbooks???

Sort of. In a way. You see, J.K. Rowling actually wrote a real book called Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them for charity back in 2001. She wrote the slight paperback under the pen name “Newt Scamander.” The book is just a brightly written codex of 85 fictional magical beasts. There’s no real plot. (Click here to buy it!)

So what’s the plot of this new movie then?

The movie tells the backstory of how young Newt Scamander came to know so much about all these various creatures. He arrives in New York City in 1926 armed with a magical suitcase full of creatures he’s collected — and he’s hoping to collect more! However, one of the creatures he’s brought escapes the suitcase and causes havoc.

What’s this Cursed Child I keep hearing so much about? Who’s that? What’s that? Is he in the movie?

Okay, so Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a completely different thing from Fantastic Beasts. It’s a play currently in production in London that tells the story of Harry Potter’s troubled son, Albus Severus.

THERE’S A HARRY POTTER SEQUEL?!?? I WANT TO SEE IT! WHY CAN’T I SEE IT?

You are welcome to fly to London and see the play. However, if you don’t have the money for international airfare laying around, you can also read the play. (Click here to buy it!)

And it’s officially part of the Harry Potter story?

Yup! J.K. Rowling helped write it.

Okay, so what does this all mean? How does this all fit together?

In this order:

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Future Fantastic Beasts films — Warner Brothers is hoping for five total!
• The original Harry Potter books and movies
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

One more question… I see how Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fits into the Harry Potter saga. It’s a direct sequel about Harry’s son. But what will Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them add to Harry Potter’s story?

This is a good question. Besides expanding the universe for fans, the Fantastic Beasts films are hoping to examine the rise and fall of Gellert Grindelwald. He was an evil wizard who came to power in the decades before Voldemort arrived on the scene and Dumbledore had an emotionally fraught relationship with him.

What do you mean by “emotionally fraught”? BE SPECIFIC.

Grindelwald and Dumbledore were lovers. However, Grindelwald believed that wizards were a master race and wanted to wage war with the muggles, or non-magical folks. Dumbledore had to take him down.

That’s dramatic.

Yeah…so it looks like that war will be the backdrop of all the Fantastic Beasts films. Johnny Depp is tapped to play Grindelwald and has a cameo in the first film. (There are flashbacks to their falling out in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part I.)

Where can I learn more?

There’s more information on this new larger universe at the official Harry Potter website Pottermore. You can get a rundown of the history of Magical America and even sort yourself into a Hogwarts House! (I’m a Gryffindor, by the way, and boasting about it in an article like this is a very Gryffindor move on my part.)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters tomorrow.

Click here to start the original Harry Potter saga with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.