J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” spinoff* “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is to be made into a film trilogy*.

    The book was published in 2001. Warner Bros chief Kevin Tsujihara persuaded author Rowling to adapt the book for the big screen.

    Last week, he said there would be a trilogy of films based on the book, which follows a “magizoologist” named Newt Scamander.

    Scamander is the author of a guide to magical creatures. Set in New York, the book is neither a sequel nor a prequel*, but an “extension” of Harry Potter’s “wizarding world,” Rowling said.

    Last month, Rowling told actress Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” films, that she completed the draft script in 12 days.

    Rowling herself told the newspaper that it was Tsujihara — who took over the role of CEO at Warner Bros last year — who persuaded her to adapt the book.

    The project, which was first announced in September 2013, will be produced by “Harry Potter” regular David Heyman, whose recent successes include “Gravity.”

    “I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it,” said Rowling when the film was announced last year.

    The book was written by Rowling between the publication of the fourth and the fifth books in the Harry Potter series.

    (SD-Agencies)