The last Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which ended the franchise and story, came out five years ago. With Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, we return to this magical world (this time set in the US in the 1920s) filled with wizards, witches, wands and creatures, and it’s sure to spark “Potter mania” again.

The English actor impressed everyone with his portrayal of a transgender artist in last year’s The Danish Girl, and who can forget how he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2015 amidst tough competition from veterans like Michael Keaton, Benedict Cumberbatch and Bradley Cooper? We think his casting as the magizoologist is perfect, judging from initial response to the official posters and trailers.

This film marks J.K. Rowling’s first screenwriting debut (which has also been published into a book.) Some fans were unhappy that the West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child out earlier this year was not written by her, but you can’t complain now that this film’s script is written by the author herself.

Harry Potter fans will have a field trip identifying all the fantastic beasts – some of which were mentioned or shown fleetingly in the previous Harry Potter films. But even if you are not a fan, you will marvel at their imaginative designs.

We caught a glimpse of this furry long-snouted creature in the trailer and immediately our “cute sensors” were fired up. Apparently this creature is attracted to all things glittery, which is sure to cause some hilarious situations in the movie. It helps that it looks so cuddly too (just keep your jewellery and gold away from it)!

Fantastic Beasts is directed by David Yates, who also directed the final four Harry Potter films. The tone in those films was darker and they were peppered with intense action sequences. We can very much expect lots of that here – so get ready for a thrill ride (we recommend watching in 3D or IMAX if you can for a more immersive experience).

The actor is always hypnotising to watch on-screen in the myriad of roles he has played, especially when they are characters with a dark past or villainous intent. So we can safely say he’s going to be one of the highlights of the film as the wizard Percival Graves.

Speaking of powerful wizards, it’s rumoured that the legendary wizard Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies, will be mentioned in Fantastic Beasts. Dumbledore’s story will be fleshed out in the upcoming films but it’s not been announced as yet who will play the younger version of him.

Director David Yates has pledged four more films for the series (it was initially planned as a trilogy), making it five films in total. The sequel can’t come fast enough… as we simply cannot wait!

*Squeal! It’s been announced that Johnny Depp has confirmed signing on to play a key character in the series (the role was undisclosed as of last week, but we now know that it’s the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald). There are also rumours that he will make a fleeting appearance in this film – so it’s going to be a surprise!