Actor Ron Perlman of "Hellboy" fame has been confirmed to join the set of the Harry Potter Spinoff movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
According to Hollywood Reporter, Perlman will be playing a goblin in the film, which has some fans perplexed as most goblins in the Harry Potter universe are very short, as seen in the original "Harry Potter" films.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is reported to be in an original film in its own and is not a prequel or sequel to the "Harry Potter" franchise of books and movies.
According to IGN, the story takes place 70 years before the event of the "Harry Potter" series, and the story revolves around Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, as he travels around the world trying to complete his index of the world's mythical creatures. Redmayne is a Hogwarts graduate who specializes in Magizoology or the study of Magical Creatures, and according to Pottermore, has received the title of Order of Merlin Second Class.
Fans of Harry Potter might recognize the title of the movie as it is also the title of one of Harry's books during his first year at Hogwarts. It is required reading for all first year students. An actual copy of the book was made available soon after the film release of the first Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
As with other films in the Harry Potter universe, Rowling played a major part in writing the script for the film. The author has stated that she does this to ensure that the scripts do not contradict future books in the series. David Yates returns as well to the Harry Potter universe as the director for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". Yates directed several of the "Harry Potter" films, including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" parts 1 and 2.
Plans for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is that the book be made into a trilogy of movies similar to what Peter Jackson did with "The Hobbit." Currently, filming is underway in London, and everything seems to be on schedule.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is set for release on Nov. 18, 2016.
Are you excited about the new edition to the Harry Potter extended universe? Are there any characters you would like to return? Let us know in the comments below.