JK Rowling films to shoot at Leavesden

Warner Bros. has confirmed that JK Rowling’s anticipated screenwriting debut Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the trilogy of films adapted from Rowling’s book series, will shoot at Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios - home of the Harry Potter franchise.

The announcement was made by UK DCMS Secretary Sajid Javid at a Creative Industries event in London and then confirmed by Warner Bros.

The Fantastic Beasts series is set around 70 years before the Harry Potter stories and will feature Newton Scamander - mentioned briefly in the Potter books - as a main character.

Warner CEO Kevin Tsujihara has previously said of the film’s plot: “Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans.”

According to previous press reports, Rowling’s Harry Potter collaborator and Gravity producer David Heyman is on board to produce the series but the director and start date is still unknown.

Warner has dated the film for a November 2016 release.

All Harry Potter films shot at Leavesden, where there is an ongoing tour attraction of the sets.