She’s not done just yet. J.K. Rowling is not only ushering the Harry Potter universe back to the big screen, but also penning the screenplay in what is being described as a partnership with Warner Bros. by its CEO Kevin Tshujihara. “We know that audiences will be as excited as we are to see what her brilliant and boundless imagination conjures up for us” he added.
It isn’t going to be Potter himself though. Instead the films – yes, there will be a series of them – will be based on Rowling’s textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. “It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a film” Rowling posted on Facebook. “I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of Fantastic Beasts, realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.”
The Hollywood Reporter have published 4 things to know about the spin-off, while Deadline have the full press release.
Here are a couple of sample Twitter reactions from fans:
This feels like having gotten over an ex & then they resurface in ur life & ALL THE FEELINGS COME RIGHT BACK & YOU LOVE IT #FantasticBeasts
— Evanna Lynch (@Evy_Lynch) September 12, 2013
#TheMagicContinues #FantasticBeasts BEST DAY EVER LITERALLY BEST DAY EVER I FEEL LIKE IVE JUST CONJURED THE BIGGEST PATRONUS IN THE UNIVERSE
— Aymina Kaya (@potterhead95) September 12, 2013
5 hours of Nymphomaniac?
Norwegian site Montages has published ten “revelations” about Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, the tale of “one woman’s erotic journey through life” that premieres on Christmas Day in Denmark. Visit Montages for the full list – we’ll just share items 1 and 10:
1. At present Nymphomaniac is five hours long, and according to plan it will consist of two volumes, each two and a half hours long. The intention is to release them simultaneously – they are not meant to be experienced as two films. The material is massive, however, and it is still in the cards to add a TV series to the theatrically released films.
10. The film is said to be very funny – at times closer to pure comedy than anything von Trier has made since The Idiots and The Boss of It All. Its black humour is mostly present in the film’s first half, however, since the story gradually grows darker and more tragic.
Some things that aren’t happening
J.J. Abrams has confirmed that he isn’t doing Star Trek 3, concentrating on that other sci-fi series that he’s working on – the new Star Wars sequels (which are definitely happening).
James Wan, director of The Conjuring and the upcoming Insidious: Chapter 2 among other scary efforts has announced he is quitting horror. No supernatural stuff in Fast and Furious 7, which he’s helming, then…
The original ending of August: Osage County may not be happening even though it has had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Apparently the film, which divided critics, has had test audiences “rebelling” over how it finishes. More (spoiler-heavy) info can be found here.
M Night Cry-amalan
io9 came across M. Night Shyamalan, director of The Last Airbender, blaming critics for not ‘getting’ his movie, talking up his apparently European style and un-humbly saying some people say he’s a genius. Quite worth a watch:
