======Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay======
=====Object Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Published Screenplay]], [[Supplementary Material]]
  * **Author:** [[J.K. Rowling]]
  * **Publisher:** [[Little, Brown]] (UK), [[Scholastic]] (US) (Pottermore)
  * **Publication Date:** 18 November 2016 (Pottermore)
=====Description and Appearance=====
  *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay* is a hardback book containing the full script for the film of the same name. It is not a novel, but is presented in a standard screenplay format, featuring scene headings, character names, dialogue, and essential action descriptions.
The book's cover and interior illustrations were designed by [[MinaLima]], the graphic design firm that worked on the [[Harry Potter films]]. The cover features an Art Deco style, with intricate gold foil detailing and illustrations of several [[Magical Creatures]] from the story, such as the [[Swooping Evil]] and the [[Thunderbird]], woven into the design. The interior includes further line art illustrations of creatures and symbols relevant to the plot.
=====Content and Plot Summary=====
The screenplay is set in 1926 and follows the British [[Magizoologist]] [[Newt Scamander]] upon his arrival in [[New York]]. His magically-expanded [[briefcase]], which houses numerous [[Magical Creatures]], is accidentally switched with that of [[Jacob Kowalski]], a [[No-Maj]] (the American term for a [[Muggle]]). Several creatures escape, forcing Newt to track them down across the city.
In his efforts, he is joined by Jacob, as well as by [[Porpentina Goldstein]] (Tina), a demoted [[Auror]] for the [[Magical Congress of the United States of America]] ([[MACUSA]]), and her Legilimens sister, [[Queenie Goldstein]]. Together, the quartet works to recapture the escaped beasts, including a troublesome [[Niffler]] and a giant, rampaging [[Erumpent]].
Simultaneously, the American wizarding community is threatened by a mysterious, destructive entity that [[MACUSA]]'s Head of Magical Security, [[Percival Graves]], is investigating. This dark force is revealed to be an [[Obscurus]], a parasitic manifestation of repressed magic, which has latched onto a troubled young man named [[Credence Barebone]]. The story's climax reveals that [[Percival Graves]] is actually the powerful [[Dark Wizard]] [[Gellert Grindelwald]] in disguise, who was manipulating Credence to harness the [[Obscurus]] for his own purposes. After a major battle in the [[New York]] subway, Grindelwald is subdued and taken into [[MACUSA]] custody.
=====Publication and Context=====
This book marks [[J.K. Rowling]]'s debut as a screenwriter. It was published to coincide with the worldwide release of the first film in the *[[Fantastic Beasts]]* series. The story is a prequel to the [[Harry Potter]] saga, set seventy years before Harry's story begins.
While the screenplay takes its title and central character from the 2001 charity textbook, *[[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]*, it expands the world significantly by creating a new narrative. This publication was the first of several original screenplays to be released in book form, followed by those for *[[The Crimes of Grindelwald]]* and *[[The Secrets of Dumbledore]]*.
=====Significance within the Wizarding World Franchise=====
The screenplay is a major expansion of the [[Wizarding World]] canon, offering the first in-depth look at wizarding society outside of Britain. It introduces fans to the magical community in 1920s America and its governing body, [[MACUSA]].
Key new concepts and lore are established, including:
  * **[[No-Maj]]:** The American English term for a non-magical person.
  * **[[Obscurus]]/[[Obscurial]]:** A powerful, unstable force of dark magic that develops in a young witch or wizard who suppresses their magical abilities. This provided a potential backstory for the condition of [[Ariana Dumbledore]].
  * **The Global Wizarding World:** It details different laws and customs, such as America's stricter enforcement of the [[International Statute of Secrecy]].
  * **[[Gellert Grindelwald]]:** While mentioned extensively in *[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]*, this is the character's first chronological appearance as a primary antagonist, setting the stage for his historical conflict with [[Albus Dumbledore]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * J.K. Rowling's decision to write the screenplay herself, rather than hand it over to an adapter like with the original [[Harry Potter films]], gave her direct creative control over the story's expansion (Pottermore).
  * The final text of the published screenplay contains some scenes and dialogue that were trimmed or altered in the theatrical cut of the film, offering a slightly different experience for readers (film).
  * Sequels to the story were released as *[[Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald]]* (2018) and *[[Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore]]* (2022), with their own screenplays also published by [[Little, Brown]] and [[Scholastic]].