Alfonso Cuaron Might Direct Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was a pivotal installment in the Harry Potter line of films for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious to Harry Potter fans is the shift in tone from the kid-friendly stories in Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets to something more sinister and dark. This was reflected in the change from family-friendly director Chris Columbus to Alfonso Cuaron. With Cuaron on board, Prisoner of Azkaban had a heightened sense of magic with an extra element of intrigue that was lacking from the previous two films. Unfortunately, Cuaron was only on board for the lone film, but his style left an imprint on the film series.
If rumors are to be believed, it appears that Cuaron could be returning to the magical world of J.K. Rowling. Reports have come in that the Gravity director is in negotiations to direct the first Harry Potter spin-off film, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. For those unfamiliar with the book, it was a novella penned by Rowling that served as an actual textbook within the world of Hogwarts. Warner Bros. plans on creating a trilogy based on the "author" of the book, Newt Scamander. The film will take place in New York City seven decades before the events of the Harry Potter series with a planned release date sometime in 2016.
While I'd rather see Cuaron follow the immense success behind Gravity with a project of his own, I think returning to the wizarding world would be a great way for the director to come full circle. What do you think?
[via /Film]