New Original Writing By J.K. Rowling Sets Up FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

BURBANK, CA – March 7, 2016 – Leading up to the November 18th release of Warner Bros. Pictures’ highly anticipated feature “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” J.K. Rowling has crafted a collection of new original writing entitled Magic in North America, to introduce audiences to a new place and time in the wizarding world that she has created.

The first installment, “History of Magic in North America,” was introduced today with the global launch of a 100-second specially produced video that serves as a prologue to the new original writing by J.K. Rowling. The video may be viewed at https://youtu.be/un348OTIs0Y.

The writing will be posted on pottermore.com over four consecutive days beginning tomorrow, March 8th, at 6am PST. These four pieces will enlighten readers about a previously unexplored corner of the wizarding world: North American witches and wizards, their history and their magic. The video broke simultaneously on selected media sites around the world and links viewers to “History of Magic in North America,” which will soon be available exclusively at pottermore.com.

The video and the writing provide context and backstory for the feature film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Rowling, who first conceived the wizarding world in her enormously popular Harry Potter books, had introduced wizards and witches from other parts of Europe in the series, most notably in the Quidditch World Cup and Triwizard Tournament. However, this marks the first time we’ll learn the fascinating story of the history of magic in North America.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an all-new adventure returning us to the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling. Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) stars in the central role of wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” also stars Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, Carmen Ejogo, Jenn Murray, Faith Wood-Blagrove, and Colin Farrell.

The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.

The film reunites a number of people from the “Harry Potter” features, including producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram.

Opening across the Philippines on Nov. 17, 2016, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.