SnitchSeeker is reporting that CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment Kevin Tsujihara announced some exciting news about Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them in a Time Warner Investor Meeting today. The exciting news:
It will indeed be a trilogy, in the least (as we previously reported) to be released in 2016, 2018 and 2020. This means we may get more than 3 films if the first 3 do well.
David Yates will direct as was speculated back in August
David Heyman will produce (as we reported last year)
And, for those of you that missed it, J.K. Rowling revealed a small synopsis for the films through Twitter last week: Newt only meant to stay in New York for a few hours. Circumstances ensured that he remained…
Update: There is now a press release, the relevant section may be read below:
The Studio will release three pictures, in 2016, 2018 and 2020, based on best-selling author J.K. Rowling’s original story and screenwriting debut, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Set in an extension of her familiar wizarding world, featuring magical creatures and characters inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook and its fictitious author, Newt Scamander, “Fantastic Beasts” will be directed by David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, and reunite the filmmaking team of David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram.
Potter alums Michael Gambon and Imelda Staunton are the latest actors added to the Paddington cast. They will be playing Paddington Bear’s Uncle Pastuzo and Aunt Lucy. The film, produced by Potter’s David Heyman, also stars their Harry Potter colleagues Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters. After some recent casting changes, Colin Firth has been replaced by Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington.
The film will be released on November 28, 2014 and the world premiere will be held at Odeon Leicester Square on November 23.
A new trailer for Paddington, which features Harry Potter actors Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent has been released today. The film will be released on November 28, 2014 and was produced by David Heyman.
Paddington has journeyed from Darkest Peru, wearing a duffle coat, hat and Wellington boots, carrying a suitcase containing an empty jar of marmalade and wearing a label around his neck that reads “Please look after this bear, thank you.” His arrival in the household of the Brown family leads to comic mishaps and misadventures for the well-meaning but accident-prone young bear.
The first teaser for one of David Heyman’s new ventures, Paddington, has been released via Yahoo! Movies. Harry Potter actors Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent will be in the film as Mrs. Bird and Mr. Gruber with Colin Firth voicing the famous Paddington bear.
David Heyman commented on the film in an interview: “Paddington Bear is a universally loved character, and I have wanted to bring him to screen for some years. Michael Bond’s ‘Paddington’ books have such wit, wonder and charm. Essentially, Paddington’s story is that of an immigrant arriving in London and trying to find a home and a family. Above all, I love Paddington’s unique style of comedy.”
A couple synopsis for the film may be read below:
Paddington has journeyed from Darkest Peru, wearing a duffle coat, hat and Wellington boots, carrying a suitcase containing an empty jar of marmalade and wearing a label around his neck that reads “Please look after this bear, thank you.” His arrival in the household of the Brown family leads to comic mishaps and misadventures for the well-meaning but accident-prone young bear.
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The story follows a curious young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British who travels to London in search of a home. Lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family who offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed, until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist.
Last night J.K. Rowling held a fundraising event for her charity, Lumos, at the Harry Potter Studio Tour where a bunch of Harry Potter cast and crew attended. Emma Watson, Evanna Lynch, Warwick Davis, Alan Rickman and David Heyman all showed their support for the author. Photos of the stars at the event may be viewed over at SnithSeeker. Sky News interviewed Rowling at the event where she discussed the charity as well as the success of Harry Potter.
“As far back as 2000 I knew I would never top Harry Potter. I knew that before the series ended. If you’ve had the kind of success that you never expected you can think ‘oh no, how dreadful I’ll never ever top that’, or you can say ‘how incredibly marvellous and liberating that I made money beyond my wildest dreams and that I can affect issues I really care about’.”
Of the charity’s mission, which states “No child should be denied a family life because they are poor, disabled or from an ethnic minority. Lumos works to support the 8 million children in institutions worldwide to regain their right to a family life and to end the institutionalisation of children,” Rowling says:
“There are eight million children globally being raised in institutions and everything we know about institutionalisation tells us it is harmful to children’s physical and mental health. Drug taking and suicide are more likely and a lot of these children may be trafficked or end up in the sex trade. To take a child from their family we know must be damaging, it’s the worst thing you can do to a child.”
She added: “These themes are in the Harry Potter books. Voldemort […] was himself raised in an institution so, spookily, it was something I was very much thinking about. But we’ve started where the situation is particularly acute in Eastern Europe where there has been a cultural acceptance of institutionalisation that thankfully in the UK we’ve really overcome.”
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