In 2001, J.K. Rowling wrote two short books ~ Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages ~ to raise money for the charity, Comic Relief. She wrote Fantastic Beasts under the pseudonym Newt Scamander.

A trilogy of films loosely based on Fantastic Beasts was originally announced, with the first film premiering in November 2016 (the others will follow at two yearly intervals). The first film was set in New York City some 70 years before Harry's story begins, and starred Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander.

In October 2016, it was announced the planned trilogy has been extended to five films. The second film, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, is scheduled to be released on 16 November 2018.