Liverpool is being dressed up as a magical wizards’ den - J.K.Rowling style - as the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them begins shooting this week.
The city has been chosen by Warner Bros Pictures as the film’s only non-studio location and will double up as 1920s New York.
But eager Rowling fans will have to wait over a year to see the city on the big screen, with the first of the new Rowling trilogy due for release in November 2016.
More than 530 actors, extras and crew will be based in the city during the filming. However Warner Bros, eager to ensure the magic is not spoiled, has thrown a virtual invisibility shield around its sets to ensure there are no leaks into the real world of rubber-necking, nosey Scouse muggles.
A large area of St George’s Plateau has already been screened off and other hot areas for filming include the Three Graces and Mersey waterfront.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a Hogwarts textbook Rowling has said her latest work, which marks her screenwriting debut, is neither a prequel nor a sequel to her famous Harry Potter series, but is based on the Hogwarts textbook that appears in the very first film, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone.
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For producer David Heyman, the scenes being shot here are something of a homecoming.
He said: “We are thrilled to be bringing Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them to Liverpool, a city which has such fond memories for me. My mother is from Liverpool and, as a child, we would often visit family there. The architecture in this beautiful city works perfectly for our film, set in 1920s New York, and I know we will receive a very warm welcome.”
Heyman was producer for all eight of the Potter films. He will be working with director David Yates who took the helm of the last four episodes of the multi-million-pound movie franchise.
Most of the filming is being done at the Warner studios in Hertfordshire.
The story centres on Newt Scamander, the wizarding world’s pre-eminent magizoologist. Played by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne who starred on The Theory of Everything.
Scamander stops in New York on a journey to find and document magical creatures for what will eventually become a textbook - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - for Hogwarts.
Eddie RedmayneOther main cast members include Katherine Waterson, Alison Sudol, Tony Award winner Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jenn Murray and Colin Farrell.
Council culture cabinet member Wendy Simon said: “We are no stranger to big movies being filmed on the city streets, but without a doubt, J.K Rowling’s new adventure will cause a real buzz and re-emphasises Liverpool’s reputation as one of the most filmed cities outside of London.”
Liverpool Film Office Manager Lynn Saunders added: “This was a very lengthy process in terms of securing the filming, but throughout it all, we were confident Liverpool could offer the amazing locations which would fit perfectly with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
“We are so pleased to be able to facilitate this movie, and coming just a couple of weeks after we announced the news of a new TV and film studio coming to Liverpool - it really does go to show we are a city in demand."
Last month producers of TV's Peaky Blinders announced they would be returning to Liverpool for filming of the latest series.
