Newt you look fantastic!

This week’s edition of Entertainment Weekly is adorned with Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, the protagonist of next year’s Harry Potter prequel. Newt is standing in the entrance of the American version of the Ministry of Magic, known as the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), which apparently is inside the Woolworth Building. Newt, the researcher and author, has a briefcase in one hand and his wand in the other. But that’s just the tip of the wizarding iceberg!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is based on J.K. Rowling’s book of the same name (though it is listed as being written by Newt Scamander himself), which isn’t an actual story, just a list of magical animals and a description about them. The book is referenced in the Harry Potter series numerous times. Very little is known about the movie’s plot, other than the fact that it will take place in New York and give us the first ever look at the American wizarding world. The film is actually J.K. Rowling’s first screenplay.

In the gallery below, you can also see several images EW had from their visit to the set (click through to see the rest)!

Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Dan Fogler, Ron Perlman, and Katherine Waterston are some of the names also slated to be in the movie.

It was just yesterday that the first logo and title for the film were released. Between this film and the new play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child set to open in London next year, 2016 is set up to be the biggest year for magic since the final Harry Potter film was released.

What do you think of first look? Share your thoughts in the magical world of our comments.

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HT: EW