In 2001, Newt Scamander published a fantasy book called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It sold well – especially when it was revealed that Scamander, the hero of his own story, also happened to be the pen name of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. There was no such mystery surrounding this 2016 movie, but by then, anything connected to Rowling and Potter, no matter how tangentially, sold like magical hotcakes. Set 70 years before Harry became a student at Hogwarts, Fantastic Beasts stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt, and co-stars include Katherine Waterston and Samantha Morton.