Never underestimate the power of the Harry Potter franchise's fanbase. Their collective enthusiasm for J.K. Rowling's fictional wizarding world has become astonishingly infectious over the years, and that energy has already started to turn many aspects of the strange and magical universe into a reality. How else could something like Pottermore have become so insanely successful? Fans love to embrace aspects of the Harry Potter world as if they are real, and now they will even have the opportunity to listen to a real life version of the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them textbook narrated by none other than Eddie Redmayne himself.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them was first released back in 2001, and is being re-released following the motion picture of the same name. In addition to new content, there will also be an audiobook available from Audible, with Eddie Redmayne will officially lending his smooth vocal chops to the narration. As fans of the Harry Potter universe already know, Newt Scamander is the author of the "real" Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them that all Hogwarts students read during their formative years, so Redmayne will actually read the book as his silver screen character.
The book was originally released as a children's companion piece to the novel series, alongside fellow "textbook" Quidditch Through the Ages. During their original 2001 publishing, the short books were meant to fill the gap between the fourth and fifth novels- a wait which was torture for us Harry Potter kids.
To put this into layperson's terms: the upcoming Harry Potter book is NOT an adaptation of anything that audiences have seen on the silver screen; it is an in-universe piece of literature.
Reintroducing the actual Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them textbook written by Newt Scamander (and subsequently having it narrated by Eddie Redmayne) is a perfect opportunity to enhance the overall Harry Potter universe. It is not merely an excellent piece of fan service (although we cannot deny that it certainly is); it also enhances the sense of immersion that fans love about J.K. Rowling's wizard world. After all, think of all the Harry Potter fans you know who remain steadfast in their commitment to their respective Hogwarts houses -- you are probably already one of those fans yourself.
If the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them audio textbook is successful, we would not be surprised to see more books of a similar ilk come out in the near future. Think about it; you already know that Harry Potter fans would jump at the chance to read "textbooks" like Dreadful Denizens of the Deep or A Vampire's Monologue, so it seems logical to capitalize on that demand. The wizarding world already maintains an intensely realized sense of mythology and cohesion, so it only makes sense to embrace that idea even further.
We will bring you any and all relevant updates related to the Harry Potter universe as more information is made available to us. The Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them audiobook will be available for purchase later this year on March 14, 2017, and Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 2 is currently slated to hit theaters on November 16, 2018.
