"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" has officially started filming in Leavesden, Hertfordshire in England, according to Warner Bros. Studios in preparation for its big screen premiere on November 18, 2016.
The film will mark "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling's screenwriting debut, while David Yates, the man who helmed the final four "Harry Potter" films - "Order of the Phoenix," "Half-Blood Prince," "Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2" will also be handling this project, according to Screen Rant.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will tell the story of magizoologist Newt Scamander as he goes on one adventure after another in search of magical creatures which he would write about in his eponymous textbook, which would later be used by Hogwarts students. Scamander's adventures will take place decades even before Harry, Ron, and Hermione sets foot in Hogwarts.
The official cast of the film has also been finalized. Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne will take the lead as Scamander, who has been described as "the wizarding world's preeminent magizoologist, who stops in New York following his travels to find and document magical creatures."
"Inherent Vice" actress Katherine Waterston and "Transparent" actress Alison Sudol would be portraying the sisters (Porpen)Tina and Queenie.
Rowling has earlier revealed that the two, who will encounter Scamander when he travels to New York bear the last name Goldstein, and are distantly related to Ravenclaw student Anthony Goldstein, who was introduced in the "Harry Potter" series.
"True Detective" star Colin Farrell will be Graves, but any extra details about his character is still being kept under wraps. Meanwhile, "Balls of Fury" star Dan Fogler will be playing Jacob, a Muggle (non-wizarding folk) who establishes a friendship with Scamander during his adventures.
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" actor Ezra Miller, on the other hand, will be a wizard named Credence who crosses paths with Scamander at some point, while "Minority Report" actress Samantha Morton will be Mary Lou, although whether she will be a Muggle or wizard still remains to be seen.
"Brooklyn" actress Jenn Murray will be Chastity, a young woman who just might be related to the character of Credence. Further, the film's newcomer is Faith Wood-Blagrove, who will be portraying Modesty - another young character whose role in Scamander's life still remains a mystery.
The studio has high hopes for the film's success, so much so that they are actually thinking of making "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" into a trilogy, with potential sequel dates scheduled on November 16, 2018 and November 20, 2020.
