Welcome to Wizarding World Weekly, your continually updated view into news stories of interest to fans of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! Unlike the Owl Postal Service, we don’t get lost in the English countryside or distracted by small rodents.
For fans of Harry Potter, 2016 is a banner year. The long-awaited eighth story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child debuted in London’s West End. November sees the release of the newest film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. As Harry Potter fans gear up for more adventures in the Wizarding World, we delve into stories making the news this week.
Wizarding Weekly News for September 21, 2016
Fantastic Merchandise and Where to Find Them!
As the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them draw nearer, the inevitable waves of merchandising have begun to appear. Merchoid.com have a range of Fantastic Beasts-themed clothes on offer, ranging from t-shirts featuring the film’s logo and promotional images, to ones bearing the emblem of M.A.C.U.S.A. For those of a more action figure persuasion, Funko has several characters from Fantastic Beasts available for pre-order including the main characters of Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski, Seraphina Picquery, Percival Graves, and two versions of the Niffler. And finally, the official Harry Potter store has released a load of Fantastic Beasts themed merchandise, everything from standees of the main characters, to journals, mugs, puzzles, and more!
Queen of the Mind
Alison Sudol, who plays Queenie Goldstein in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has revealed some of her character’s powers in an interview with Pottermore. Queenie is a powerful Legilimens, capable of reading minds. If that sounds familiar, it was also one of the talents that Professor Severus Snape possessed, and tried to teach to Harry Potter to prevent Voldemort from using their connection to control him or gain information.
“The longer I play her, the more I delve into Queenie’s powers. It really informs who she is, because she sees into people. She’s not just reading what you’re currently thinking, she’s reading you. Being a Legilimens means she’s reading your whole story, she’s seeing all of your truths. If she peers in far enough, she can go all the way down.”
Harry Potter Sells Childhood Home! Sort Of.
Ever fancied living in The Cupboard Under The Stairs like Harry Potter did while living at the Dursleys? Well now you can! Kind of.
The house in Picket Post Close, Martins Heron that was used as No. 4 Privet Drive in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is up for sale. Yes, for the low, low price of nearly half a million pounds, you can live in the house Harry grew up in (disclaimer: Harry did not really grow up in the house).
However, the house was only used in the first film as logistical problems meant that shooting at the location for subsequent films was abandoned in favor of recreating the entire street in a studio. But never mind that – it’s Harry’s childhood house! Start raiding your rainy day fund for the deposit!
Line Change in Prizoner of Azkaban Leads to Conspiracy Theories
Recently, Seventeen writer Kelsey Stiegman made a startling discovery that had apparently eluded Harry Potter fans for years. Sometime after the initial printing of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 1999, a random sentence was changed. Stiegman compared the text from a 2013 edition with the original 1999 text.
Original Text:
“Er — Mr. Black — Sirius?” said Hermione.
Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though he had never seen anything like her before.
Revised Text
“Er — Mr. Black — Sirius?” said Hermione.
Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though being spoken to politely was something he’d long forgotten.
The changed line led to conspiracy theories ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. Stiegman has tweeted Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for comment on the changed line.
Kpop Band DIA Release Harry Potter Themed Album
The Kpop girl band DIA (Do It Amazing) released their third studio album on September 12 called “Spell.” The seven-track album is inspired by the Harry Potter books. The title track, “Mr. Potter,” is categorized as dance-pop music with an upbeat, synthesized sound. The music video for the track featured DIA dressed as witches.
Harry Potter Rap
Staying with musical news, British musician and Harry Potter fan Alex Day has created a rap using all the spells featured in the Harry Potter series. Alex took inspiration from a similar video online that listed all the spell used in the films, and decided to make a musical version of it. Alex usually produces pop-style music, but decided rapping better suited his vision, although he was not confident of his rapping abilities.
“A lot of people have complimented me on it although I didn’t think I would be any good at rapping. I thought I would just give it a go.”
The Transformers Invade Hogwarts
Lastly, some light hearted news as filming for Transformers The Last Knight was spotted near Alnwick Castle, a location that stood in for exterior scenes of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. If anyone’s childhood involved mixing figures from various toy lines together and creating awesome stories, then the idea of Harry and his pals fighting off an invasion of Decepticons should be right up your alley.
Wizarding Weekly News for September 14, 2016
Will Daniel Radcliffe Return To ‘Harry Potter’?
Along with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has brought the world of Harry Potter back into the spotlight this year. Could a film adaptation of the stage play see Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe don the scar and glasses again? In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the Deauville Film Festival, Radcliffe was asked if he would ever return to the role that made him famous. His answer gave both hope and concern to Harry Potter fans.
“I’m never going to close that door, but I think I’ll be happy enough and secure enough to let someone else play it.”
Radcliffe also put forward the option of Jamie Parker, who plays Harry on the stage in Cursed Child, taking the role of the wizard in any future film. He also noted that at the moment he was too young to play the version of Harry currently gracing the West End stage. However, Radcliffe does admit he would feel strange returning to the role even in ten years’ time.
“There’s a part of me that’s like, some things are better left untouched. If we went back to Potter, there’s a chance we’d make what Star Wars: The Force Awakens was to the original Star Wars, but there’s also the chance that we’d make Phantom Menace. So I don’t want to go back to anything like that and maybe sour what people have already loved.”
Ouch. Fear not Star Wars fans. Rogue One will hopefully help heal the pain of the prequels …
Radcliffe was also asked about the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its star, Eddie Redmayne.
“He’s an Oscar winner, dude, he doesn’t need my advice.”
Colin Farrell’s Reasons For Joining Fantastic Beasts
Colin Farrell – who plays Percival Graves in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – has revealed the reason why he joined the film. In an interview with CinemaBlend, he gave the blunt reason.
Work. And the world that it exists within. I mean its enormous amounts of fun. I have a f**kin’ wand.
Farrell does note another reason for playing the role, and its one of the most common reasons given by actors. He wanted to play a role that his children could watch him in. He admits that they might not want to watch the film or even like it, but he would like them to have the opportunity.
Lego Harry Potter Remaster Exclusive To PS4
Warner Bros. have confirmed an October 18 release date for a PS4 exclusive remaster of the Lego Harry Potter series. The game will include enhanced graphics, visuals and lighting effects, along with DLC content. Lego Harry Potter was released as two games; the first covered the first four books, while the second covered the final three. The remastered version will ship on a single disc entitled Lego Harry Potter Collection . Although released a full month before the arrival of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, TT Games promised that the collection will be the perfect gift for fans waiting to see the film. There is speculation that the remastered game could have links to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The DLC for the game is said to be a Character Pack DLC and a Spell Pack DLC. The Character Pack is reported to include ten new characters, including the four Hogwarts founders Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Other characters will included Harry (Yule Ball), Hermione (Pink Dress), Ron Weasley (Ghoul), Luna (Lion Head), Lockhart (Straitjacket), and Peeves. The Spell Pack contains five new spells: Cantis (makes an individual sing), Densaugeo (grows an individual’s teeth), Ducklifors (turns a target into a duck), Melofors (turns an individual’s head into a pumpkin), and Tentaclifors (turns a target’s head into a tentacle).
Wizarding Weekly News for September 8, 2016
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Gets Classification
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has been classified as PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America.
PG-13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned
Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.
The mainstream Harry Potter films alternated between PG and PG-13 ratings throughout the eight film run. The first three films and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince are all rated as PG. The remaining films, which generally include materials such as character deaths and potentially scary scenes for children, are all rated as PG-13. Strangely, the film classification board did not think that Half-Blood Prince needed a PG-13 rating. This was despite the film depicting the death of fan-favorite character Albus Dumbledore, and including a scene with creatures that were basically zombies. The film was reclassified as a PG-13 for its IMAX release.
Fantastic Beasts Screenplay Cover Revealed
With the release of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, new tie-in books were a certainty. Fans were given the chance to read the latest installation of the Harry Potter series with the release of the script book for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will get the same treatment.
The Little, Brown Book Group has revealed the cover to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, the print versions of the book will be published by Scholastic. The Original Screenplay will be available on Nov. 18, the same date as the film is released in the U.S.
The screenplay is not the only tie-in book to be published in the lead-up to the film. Other ties-ins will include Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Fashion Sketchbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Magical Movie Handbook, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Character Guide.
Pottermore Presents
On Tuesday Sept. 6, Pottermore released three eBooks under the “Pottermore Presents” umbrella. The first book, Short Stories From Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies focuses on the histories of several of Hogwarts’ teachers over the years. The second, Short Stories From Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists centers around the institutions of the Wizarding World such as the Ministry of Magic. The last, Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide goes into greater detail about the Wizarding school itself.
Harry Potter Festival and Quidditch Tournament 2016
The Harry Potter Festival and Quidditch Tournament 2016 comes to Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia from October 20-22. The three-day event at Chestnut Hill College will feature the fifth annual Harry Potter Conference and the seventh annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Cup. Quidditch teams from across the Mid-Atlantic will compete is a round robin “muggle” Quidditch tournament.
The town of Chestnut Hill is also getting in on the act. Inspired by the books, many of the local businesses will be transformed into Harry Potter-themed locations for the duration of the weekend. Actors dressed as characters from the books will interact with visitors throughout the festival. Other attractions will include Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons, Sorting Hat demonstrations, and the Tri-Wizard straw maze.
Cursed Child Still No.1
Harry Potter and Cursed Child Parts One and Two continues to dominate USA Today’s Best-Selling Books list. The script book has retained the No.1 spot for the sixth consecutive week. The book, released on July 31, shows no signs of slowing down in terms of sales.
Harry Potter Comes To LEGO Dimensions
The popular video game LEGO Dimensions have released a trailer for the upcoming Harry Potter Team Pack. The new pack will introduce a wide variety of Harry Potter related settings and characters into the game. Locations will include Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the Chamber of Secrets. Characters in the pack include Harry, Voldemort, and Hagrid. The expansion will be available on Sept. 27 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Wii U.
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