Warner Bros. is partnering with J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, for a new film series from Rowling’s world of witches and wizards, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be an original story and will also mark Ms. Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a series of films set in the wizarding world.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world, says Ms. Rowling. So no, these movies will neither feature nor lead up to Harry Potter, and not talk about life after Voldermort either. The timeline of the movies is set to roughly 70 years before the time of Harry.

In addition to the film series, Fantastic Beasts will also be developed across the studio’s video game, consumer products and digital initiatives businesses, including enhanced links with Pottermore.com, Rowling’s digital online experience built around the Harry Potter stories.