As we’ve previously reported here at Renegade Cinema, Warner Brothers has planned a trilogy of films based on the Harry Potter companion book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with the first film being written by none other J.K. Rowling. It’s one thing to announce plans, but it’s quite another to be confident enough in those plans to announce a release date. With that in mind the studio has announced that the first film will be released in theaters on November 18, 2016.
While I’m still trying to wrap my head around the plausibility of adapting a 128 page book with virtually no story into three movies, I will admit the release date makes sense in a way. This particular November weekend has been used in the past for several of the Harry Potter films and the Fantastic Beasts date will be almost fifteen years to the day that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released.
As much as I would like to believe otherwise, this still feels like Warner Bros. desperately trying to make some more money off the Harry Potter name. Though considering the fact that it appears the Fantastic Beasts series will have next to nothing to do with the other films, this really feels like a flop waiting to happen (especially while competing with an animated Disney film coming out just five days later).
Are you interested in watching the Harry Potter spin-off? Do you think J.K. Rowling writing the screenplay will make the film better? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
Source: Collider