The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movies were a new way to explore the wizarding world, but with the shadow of Harry Potter looming over them, a prequel series could fix their mistakes. Originally published as a supplement to the original books, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was an in-universe textbook for Hogwarts’ magical creatures class. In 2016, a very loose adaptation premiered in theaters and acted as a prequel to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter canon. Chronicling the life of the book’s author Newt Scamander, the films were initially meant to be about his globe-hopping adventures.
However, the Fantastic Beasts films quickly shifted their focus to the secrets harbored by Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Although the movies now focus on his battles with Gellert Grindelwald, a television series could return Newt Scamander to his roots and tell unique stories that only the naturalist can experience. It addresses a longstanding problem with the movies: they forget that Newt isn’t The Boy Who Lived, he’s a magizoologist and his own character.
For a series called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the films are more reliant on the crutch of Hogwarts rather than the creatures Scamander studies. What once promised an adventure in the wider wizarding world became more focused on the conflict between Albus Dumbledore and the villain Gellert Grindelwald and his war on Muggles. For many, however, the movies are at their best when true to Newt’s original message: “There are no strange creatures, only blinkered people.” This is why a TV series could be a much-needed course correction. Through a prequel set during the writing of his book, there’s potential to fix Fantastic Beast’s biggest mistakes, explore real-world issues, and break beyond the boundaries of old Harry Potter history.
It’s the wizarding world’s outlying mythology that warranted the original book and what a Fantastic Beasts series should expand upon. The movies gave glimpses into places like America and how these magical cultures differ from the UK. However, in Newt’s book, he also mentioned other locations such as Australia and Asia, which provide new and diverse locales for a television series to imagine. In addition, it might answer questions about wizarding civilization and its relationship with nature. The world is bigger than the films ever gave it credit for, and it doesn’t always have to center around Hogwarts. A prequel is a great way to establish this and to do something unique.
The sequels present a familiar but already well-tread scenario in Rowling’s books, a dark wizard looking to conquer both worlds. The first film told a story about the misunderstood fantastic beasts, politics, and prejudice. A series focusing on the creatures is an opportunity to tell new stories and explore real-life issues animals face, such as conservation and animal trafficking. For example, one episode can feature a young witch who gets an animal for Christmas that grows to be a bigger problem than they can handle. Newt has to capture it and explain that creatures like this are gifts, but they’re not presents. Or perhaps an episode where Newt has to track down a newly-bitten werewolf who has to learn that their life will change, but it’s not over. The concept of a magizoologist was misspent, and so were the animals, which became comical props rather than the focal point of these adventures.
The Fantastic Beasts movies have a problem, but Newt Scamander’s adventures are not irredeemable. A prequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them could be a new direction the wizarding world needs. By giving Newt's stories more time to breathe, it will finally move the franchise beyond The Boy Who Lived and remind audiences there’s a bigger world shared with some truly fantastic beasts.
