According to Nikki Finke, former big cheese at
Deadline, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men"), who recently won an Oscar for directing
Garvity, is in talks to helm the
Harry Potter spinoff,
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Cuaron has been highly praised for elevating the magical franchise with the third film in franchise,
Prisoner of Azkaban, which he directed. Last year, Cuaron was asked about the possibility of returning to the Harry Potter universe.
"Akzaban was fun to make, and when I did it, I was invited to do the next one, but I didn't want to overstay the welcome, because it was such an experience," the director said. "But now? Why not? I do have stuff that I want to do [next], but a J.K. thing ..."
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be an original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series. Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans. “Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.”