passage: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) -- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 fantasy film directed by David Yates. A joint British and American production, it is a spin-off and prequel to the Harry Potter film series, and it was produced and written by J.K. Rowling in her screenwriting debut, and inspired by her 2001 book of the same name. The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, with Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, Ron Perlman, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp in supporting roles. It is the first installment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and ninth overall in the Wizarding World franchise, that began with the Harry Potter films.