“Fantastic Beasts” first installment gets a release date

The release date for the first film in the Fantastic Beasts series has been eagerly anticipated by Harry Potter fans the world over. Warner Bros. announced today that the film will be released in theaters on November 18, 2016.

Interestingly, the first installment of the new series will be released only two days after the fifteen-year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which landed in US theaters on November 16, 2001.

The film will be set in New York, 70 years before Harry Potter becomes famous within the wizarding world. Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara, who wooed Rowling back to the film franchise by adapting her 54-page book into a screenplay, stated last September that the new franchise would have the feeling of the previous Harry Potter films. Rowling also stated that the new series, while set within the same world, would not be a prequel or sequel, but rather an extension of the wizarding world.

No word on casting for the series, however. We are still awaiting news on who will play the fictional author and main character of the new films, magizoologist Newt Scamander.

Are you excited for the new film? Who do you want to play Newt? Leave your comments and ideas below!