J.K. Rowling to write Harry Potter-inspired film

Ann Oldenburg | USA TODAY

In an announcement she shared on her Facebook page, J.K. Rowling has teamed with Warner Bros. to make her screenwriting debut.

The Harry Potter author will pen Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the first in a new film series inspired by Harry Potter's Hogwarts textbook of the same name.

The film will feature the book's fictitious author, Newt Scamander.

Rowling explains: "It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of Fantastic Beasts, realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood."

She continues, "As I considered Warners' proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn't dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros."

Rowling says, "Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 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. 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, 70 years before Harry's gets underway."