UPDATE: The videos have since been removed, probably due to containing major plot points so we have replaced the Dan video with a transcript (thanks to SS)

Dan Fogler and Eddie Redmayne were interviewed at CinemaCon earlier this month and both discussed Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Dan gives a lot more detail about the plot of the film and how his character Jacob and Newt meet/become friends.

I play Jacob, just a regular guy back from [World War I], in Fantastic Beasts.

[J.K. Rowling] writes this story about Newt coming to New York to buy a gift, and he has this case, which is essentially a zoo full of these creatures that he’s collected over the years.

He and I literally bump into each other, our cases get switched up. I open my case, thinking that inside are gonna be pastries, and it’s actually an entire zoo of magical creatures that comes stampeding out. One of them bites me.

Newt, who’s more of a misanthropic character and closer to the animals than he is to humans, he feels responsible for me. He doesn’t want me to die because of this bite, so he takes me along and tries to heal me as we collect all these creatures in the city. Over the course of that, he and I become friends. It’s like Sherlock and Watson, the origin story.

In the video below Eddie and Colin Farrell briefly talk about the film.

The news just keeps on coming this week! EW has just released character descriptions for the main cast of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. These descriptions come with some higher resolution photos of the supporting cast, which can be seen in the gallery!

Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scramander
An eccentric globe-hopping English “magizoologist” wizard who’s far more comfortable around beasts and creatures than he is around other people. Comes to New York on a quest with his case full of magical habitats containing rare and endangered species.

Katherine Waterston as Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein
An ambitious worker at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (aka MACUSA, the U.S. version of the Ministry of Magic) who meets Newt. Tina is relegated to an office well below her abilities after she stood up for the wrong person. She longs to fight for what’s right.

Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
Tina’s younger sister and roommate, a big-hearted free-spirit “legilimens” who can read minds.

Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
An optimistic No-Maj (aka Muggle) factory worker/aspiring baker who gets introduced to the wizarding world when he meets Newt. Fun fact: He’s the Harry Potter franchise’s first Muggle main character.

Colin Farrell as Graves
A powerful auror and the right-hand man of the American wizarding world’s president.

Samantha Morton as Mary Lou
The narrow-minded leader of the fanatical Second Salemers, a group looking to expose and destroy wizards and witches.

Ezra Miller as Credence
Perhaps the cast’s most mysterious character. He’s Mary Lou’s troubled adopted son.

In addition to the photo of Newt Scamander featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, EW has released some more behind the scenes photos from the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! You can view all the photos in our gallery!

In the cover image, we got a first look at Scamander, his pivotal briefcase in hand, standing inside the entrance of the majestic art deco-influenced Magical Congress of the United States of America (or MACUSA), which is the American version of the Ministry of Magic that’s housed inside the Woolworth Building in the film.

These new photos show Katherine Waterston as Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein, Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Alison Sudol and Queenie Goldstein, and Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski in various locations.

Entertainment Weekly have released a preview of their next issue which includes the first ever look at Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them starring Eddie Redmayne. Good Morning America also revealed an inner page of the issue (Thanks to fbawtftfilms on Twitter.) You can see both photos in the gallery! In their little teaser for the feature EW says:

Beasts stars Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) as world-famous magizoologist Newt Scamander, who embarks on an adventure in 1926 New York. In our cover image, you get a first look at Scamander, his pivotal briefcase in hand, standing inside the entrance of the majestic art deco-influenced Magical Congress of the United States of America (or MACUSA), which is the American version of the Ministry of Magic that’s housed inside the Woolworth Building in the film. Coming along for the ride are Katherine Waterston (Steve Jobs), Colin Farrell (True Detective) and Samantha Morton (Minority Report).

So what’s this movie actually about? What are the characters? How will Fantastic Beasts differ from the Potter films? What creatures can we expect? And what are American wizards like, anyway? We’ll have all that, interviews with the cast and producers, plus first photos from the set, and more.

Pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands Friday, or buy it here. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be released on November 18th 2016.

Warner Bros. has issued a press release this morning announcing the filming for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them begins today. The release also includes confirmation on the cast for the film. They have confirmed that Ezra Miller has been cast, as Credence, which he originally denied. We also learn that Samantha Morton has been cast as Mary Lou, Jenn Murray as Chastity and the previously announced Eddie Redmayne (Newt), Katherine Waterston (Tina), Alison Sudol (Queenie), Faith Wood-Blagrove (Modesty), Dan Fogler (Jacob), and Colin Farrell (Graves).

Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ highly anticipated feature “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” The all new adventure is set in the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling in her best-selling Harry Potter books, which were adapted into the highest-grossing film franchise of all time.

Filming started today, August 17, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” feature films.

Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) stars as Newt Scamander, the wizarding world’s preeminent magizoologist, who stops in New York following his travels to find and document magical creatures.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” also stars Katherine Waterston (“Inherent Vice”) as Tina; Alison Sudol (“Dig,” “Transparent”) as Tina’s sister, Queenie; Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) as Jacob; Ezra Miller (“Trainwreck”) as Credence; two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (“In America,” “Sweet and Lowdown”) as Mary Lou; Jenn Murray (“Brooklyn”) as Chastity; young newcomer Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty; and Colin Farrell (“True Detective”) as Graves.

Marking the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, the script was inspired by her character Newt Scamander’s Hogwarts textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The film is being produced by David Heyman, producer of all eight of the blockbuster “Harry Potter” features; J.K. Rowling; Steve Kloves; and Lionel Wigram.

Collaborating with Yates behind the scenes are: Oscar-winning director of photography Philippe Rousselot (“A River Runs Through It,” the “Sherlock Holmes” movies), three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig (“The English Patient,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Gandhi,” the “Harry Potter” films), three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Alice in Wonderland”), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Tim Burke (“Gladiator,” the “Harry Potter” films), Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Christian Manz (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1”), and Yates’ longtime editor Mark Day (the last four “Harry Potter” films).

Warner Bros. Pictures has slated “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” for worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on November 18, 2016.

While at Comic Con Dan Fogler, who will be playing Jacob in Fantastic Beasts, discussed his casting and his excitement for the role! He talks about Fantastic Beasts during the first part of the video:

A transcript can be read below:

First of all, congratulations on the big news. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Do you know where to find them?
Dan Fogler: Trying to find some reverse Crazy Glue, ‘cause apparently I stuck my hand to my face last night. I’m kidding. (laughs) Yeah, man. Fantastic Beasts. I mean, I had all sorts of stuff lined up that we COULD talk about, but that’s gotten just smashed to the side by Fantastic Beasts. (laughs) That’s basically what I’ll be doing for a little while.

When we talked earlier, you said that you’re going to have an accent.
Dan Fogler: Yeah, I think it’s gonna be somewhere in the Lou Costello 1920s early Brooklyn … “How’re ya goils doin?” I dunno. Something like that, I’m imagining. It takes place in the early ‘20s in New York. It’s a very fun era.

You remember it clearly?
Dan Fogler: I feel like I definitely have a past life that was there. I know how to do the Charleston pretty good. I’m not gonna do it. I’ll ralph all over you. “I had a piece of Dan Fogler vomit right here (points to face) and I’m never gonna wash it.” (laughs)

You didn’t know that news was going to break this weekend. Or did you?
Dan Fogler: No idea. I was walking up here, hauling my boxes of comic books, schlepping, sweating, and then my manager calls me up and was like, “Oh, by the way, now you’re part of this franchise.”

I think I saw you when you were on that phone conversation.
Dan Fogler: You saw me?

I ran into you outside yesterday. I didn’t want to interrupt you. You were happy.
Dan Fogler: I was like weeping. I’m in shock. I’m in excess of excitement right now.

You got anything else you want to talk about, or are those [projects] on hold for now?
Dan Fogler: Well, I make an appearance in the show Billions. We’ll see. I was supposed to have a recurring character. Very exciting … Paul Giamatti – for Showtime. It’s kind of gotten waylaid but we’ll see if I’m able to jump back on board for that. And there’s all sorts of fun movies percolating … we’ll see what happens. This Fantastic Beasts thing has definitely changed the course of my career.

Also, Ezra Miller, who has been rumored to be in talks for the film commented on those assumptions by letting fans know he is NOT in the running.

After this and Stanford, I guess you’re doing a couple bigger movies. You’re playing The Flash [in Batman v. Superman and The Flash]. And… the Harry Potter movie, Fantastic Beasts, as well?
Ezra: Motherf—-rs have ‘been sayin’ this s–t to me and I’m like, I f—ing wish!

No?
Ezra: Where the f–k is that coming from? I mean I wish they’d tell me about it if that’s true, you know? I’d hope I’m on it. I hope they would be recognizing my long-running wizardry practice, how I’m f—ing ready to go! But I just keep hearing this from people who I guess are reading, like, Gawker or some s–t…

Yeah, but now it’s on your IMDb page, so I thought it was FOR REAL.
Ezra: Whoa. It’s on my IMDb page?!
Michael [Angarano]: Have you not seen your IMDb page recently?
Ezra: No, dude! I don’t look at my IMDb page that has this headshot from when I was 14.

Maybe you’re in it, and you just don’t know…
Ezra: Well I would appreciate it if whoever is making that movie would f—ing tell me.

They filmed you in the wild!
Ezra: If you’re reading this Complex article right now, please let me know if I am in your film. Could I see the script, what is my character… these are things I’d like to know.

Thanks to SnitchSeeker for the find and transcript of Dan’s interview!