Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts has 'got the charm' of Goblet of Fire

Eddie Redmayne stars in the lead as magizoologist Newt Scamander

(Reuters)

Harry Potter prequel movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be most like JK Rowling’s fourth book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a producer has said.

David Heyman has hinted that although David Yates, who directed the last four Potter films, is helming, it is Mike Newall’s movie that comes closest in similarity.

“Fantastic Beasts has got the charm of the fourth,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s like the fourth. Mike talked about the fourth as being like an Indian musical - and it’s not that, but it’s got the humour of that film.

“It has the romantic comedy, that fish-out-of-water humour, that very human, natural character comedy.”

Heyman added that Newall is “always looking for truthful, human moments”. “It’s never just a gag,” he said. “He’s grounding in a reality. It’s very funny, it’s got a big heart and there’s darkness too.”

Fantastic Beasts stars Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander, writer of the famous textbook used by Harry, Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts. Shooting is already underway but fans can expect to wait a little while yet for the first trailer.

The first of at least three films arrives in UK cinemas on 18 November 2016.