Armie Hammer Hasn’t Been Approached About The Batman, But He’s Down

Armie Hammer Hasn’t Been Approached About The Batman, But He’s Down

The DC live-action universe has had a fascinating tenure in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. As such, Warner Bros. is constantly adjusting their plans, with surprise news often hitting the general public after the fact. Following the poor performance of Justice League, the DCEU is pivoting away from serialized storytelling, with movies like Aquaman and Shazam! focusing on their title character, void of crossovers.

In some ways it feels like the DCEU we knew had ended, although the shared universe seems to have hit its stride in the process. But that puts the plans for the Justice League members in jeopardy, especially Superman, Cyborg, Flash, and Batman. The latter was played by Ben Affleck in three movies, but he's officially hung up his cowl and cape for good. Matt Reeves will have to recast for his developing movie The Batman, with names like Armie Hammer on the top of fan lists. Now Hammer has spoken to these rumors, saying:

Yeah, that’s the problem: I’ve never been approached, but if I was, I would jump at the opportunity. You can only say 'no' or 'yes' to projects you’re offered.

Well, that's certainly exciting. While shutting down rumors that he's been approached to play DC's new Bruce Wayne, Armie Hammer also revealed that he's absolutely interested. So if he gets the call, Hammer would be down to don the iconic suit and use all of Batman's wonderful toys.

Armie Hammer's comments to USA Today are sure to illicit plenty of reactions from comic book fans. Batman is one of the most popular superheroes ever, so there's a ton of pressure associated with the casting of the Dark Knight. There was plenty of backlash when Ben Affleck was first announced in the role, although he ended up proving himself, bringing a jaded and experienced adaptation to the silver screen. Hammer is at the top of fan lists for possible Batman replacements, so his excitement over the potential role is going to get heads spinning.

From what we've heard about Matt Reeves' The Batman, the project is going to star a younger version of Batman, and focus on his detective work in Gotham City. Armie Hammer seems like a solid choice, as Ben Affleck is 14 years his senior. There would certainly be a juxtaposition between the two actors, which might be exactly what Reeves is hoping for.

The latest news about The Batman also reveal that Matt Reeves is reportedly looking for a big name to play his Caped Crusader. Armie Hammer's star power has been steadily growing over the past few years, so he might be the tier of fame that Reeves is hoping for. He got action experience in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., starred in Oscar bait Call Me By Your Name, and even voiced a superhero in Stan Lee's Mighty 7. So it might be the perfect time for Hammer to step into a full on superhero role of his own in live-action.

Armie Hammer has a history with Batman, as he was cast as the role in George Miller's failed Justice League Mortal movie. He's ultimately glad his role didn't come to fruition, but I guess he's still got his eye on the cowl.

Armie Hammer's Hotel Mumbai opens in theaters this weekend. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Terminator: Dark Fate's Sarah Connor Is A 'Bad Grandma With A Shotgun,’ According To James Cameron

Terminator: Dark Fate's Sarah Connor Is A 'Bad Grandma With A Shotgun,’ According To James Cameron

There are plenty of reasons to bring back a character as memorable and important as Sarah Connor is to the Terminator franchise. Among the typical reasons of bringing original franchise fans back under the tent, as well as erasing the series of the franchise’s more questionable follow-ups, there’s one in particular that appealed to series creator James Cameron when he sat down to help craft what we’ve come to know recently as Terminator: Dark Fate.

For him, Sarah Connor not only represents the good old days of his franchise’s vision, she’s also a counterpart to some male actors who have been given the chance she has now to become what he calls a, “bad grandma with a shotgun.” Cameron explained this in the following remarks from a recent interview:

Sure, there are lots of female empowerment characters -- you've got Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman and Black Widow. There's quite a list. How many of them are over 40? Not too many. Gets to be a very short list. Talking about action empowered, action females. There are all these dewy young things. How many of them are over 60? Big fat zero. And now you start looking back through history and how many female action hero prototypical characters that were over 60. Lots of guys. Lots of midlife crisis guys -- you know, Bruce Wilis, Liam Neeson, Clint Eastwood, they're still packing guns into their 80s. How many ladies? Not too many. So I thought, 'This is worth doing, this is a great thing to do.'

Much like the return of James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Terminator franchise in Terminator: Dark Fate, bringing back Linda Hamilton’s female bad ass from the original two films signals the return of the original team that made The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day so memorable. But in addition, Hamilton can now claim herself as a role model in the same vein as Bruce Willis, Liam Neeson, and Clint Eastwood before her, as Sarah Connor’s return is key to the story that James Cameron helped set out to tell in Terminator: Dark Fate.

This information from James Cameron, who serves as not only a producer but a writer on Terminator: Dark Fate, came from a now-pulled interview that he’d done with Flicks and the City. And in that same interview, in-between mentioning how this new film would be a continuation of John Connor’s story from Terminator 2, Cameron continued to lay down just why Sarah Connor’s inclusion in this latest film, alongside co-stars Mackenzie Davis’ Grace and Natalia Reyes’ Dani, is so important.

As it turns out, in his eyes, Sarah Connor is part of a trinity of the following archetypes he wanted to use in the film’s story:

In the Greek mythology, you have the three female archetypes -- there's the virgin, the mother, and the grandmother. Well, in our society, we discount the grandmother. But in ancient societies, the grandmother was the keeper of wisdom, the judge, the keeper of the values, sometimes the witch, the sorceress, the seer of the future. ... So this is a powerful archetypal figure. You put that together with a known great kickass action hero I think you've got something special and something you haven't seen before. ... She's bad grandma with a shotgun, and you'd better watch your ass.

Information such as this starts to help decode just what Terminator: Dark Fate may be about, as Linda Hamilton is squarely cast in the role of “grandmother” Sarah Connor, bringing new light to a Greek archetype that gets overlooked quite often. Which means that newcomers Grace and Dani are probably the “Mother” and the “Virgin” respectively, as Grace looks to come from an embattled future in order to protect Dani, a virgin in the sense that this is her first foray into the world of Skynet’s covert war against humanity.

How these respective roles will play out, and whether or not Sarah Connor will survive her return to the party in Terminator: Dark Fate are both up in the air. But if James Cameron keeps giving interviews such as this one, we’ll probably get just enough clues to start asking some specific questions pertaining to that very subject.

Terminator: Dark Fate will be released into theaters on November 1, so let the self-ass watching commence!

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Game Of Thrones’ Richard Madden May Be Joining Marvel’s The Eternals

Game Of Thrones’ Richard Madden May Be Joining Marvel’s The Eternals

Two of the biggest pop culture topics of conversation right now are Marvel and Game of Thrones, thanks to the former delivering Avengers: Endgame and the latter airing its final season. Richard Madden was part of Game of Thrones once upon a time as Robb Stark, and now it’s looking like he could lend his talent to Marvel as well via The Eternals.

Richard Madden is currently in talks for a major role in The Eternals. The Wrap, which broke the news, didn’t provide any details about who Madden would play, but THR has heard that he’s being eyed to bring Ikaris to life. Since the Eternals were introduced to the pages of Marvel Comics in 1976, Ikaris has been one of the principal players of that property, so if Madden is cast in that role, he’ll certainly have a lot to do.

The former Game of Thrones star, who more recently starred in The Bodyguard and can be seen in Rocketman later this month, is the fourth actor to be associated with The Eternals. Angelina Jolie has reportedly been confirmed to play Sersei, Train to Busan actor Ma Dong-seok has boarded and Kumail Nanjiani has been in talks to join the cast.

Marvel didn’t comment on Richard Madden being in consideration, nor has it provided any official plot details about The Eternals yet. However, supposedly the movie will follow the love story between Ikaris and Sersei, meaning we’d be seeing Madden and Angelina Jolie getting quite cozy with one another.

Like the other Eternals, Ikaris is long-lived and boasts incredible power. His life force is augmented by cosmic energy, allowing him total control over his physical form, to the point he’s able to regenerate tissue, levitate, shoot cosmic beams and psychically scan minds less evolved then his own, among numerous other abilities. Outside of the comics, Ikaris’ only appearance has been in the video game Marvel Heroes, but if The Eternals is anything like Guardians of the Galaxy, then he and his fellow Eternals will skyrocket in popularity once their movie is out.

Although we’re still in the dark about what The Eternals will specifically be about, earlier this year, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige talked about how the movie could stretch across many millennia, just like the original Jack Kirby stories did. It could also give us more insight into Thanos’ background, and if some, if not most of The Eternals is set in the past, maybe the Mad Titan could even pop in!

Directed by Chloe Zhao, The Eternals doesn’t have an assigned release date yet, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for that information and more updates on its development. For now, you can look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else the MCU has coming down the pipeline.

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Emilia Clarke Almost Appeared In Iron Man 3

Emilia Clarke Almost Appeared In Iron Man 3

With credits on her resume like Game of Thrones, Terminator Genisys and Solo: A Star Wars Story, Emilia Clarke has become a well-known actress in the Hollywood sphere, but one thing she has yet to do is appear in a superhero movie. That said, apparently she almost had the chance to do so with 2013’s Iron Man 3.

Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce recently shared a picture of a name card showing that during an early table read for the movie in 2012, he was reading for JARVIS, the role that belonged to Paul Bettany before he became The Vision. However, the bigger reveal in this Instagram post was that Emilia Clarke was present for this table read alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle.

As for why Emilia Clarke didn’t end up appearing in Iron Man 3, Drew Pearce simply said:

long story, the script changed

Drew Pearce didn’t specify exactly when in 2012 this Iron Man 3 table read occurred, but filming began in May 23, so we can assume that these actors gathered together at least several weeks beforehand. At that point in time, Game of Thrones Season 1 had already been long out and Season 2 was either about to premiere or was a few episodes deep, so Emilia Clarke had taken her first steps to stardom, and Iron Man 3 surely would have propelled her further.

Alas, sometimes a story is altered even after folks have been cast, and while Drew Pearce didn’t provide any additional information on Emilia Clarke’s involvement in Iron Man 3, ultimately she had to depart the project. While it is interesting to imagine what Iron Man 3 would have been like had Clarke appeared, clearly her career didn’t suffer or stall as a result of not taking part in it.

Obviously the big question is who Emilia Clarke would have played in Iron Man 3, but there’s another thing to consider. Drew Pearce said Clarke had to depart because the script changed, so was she playing a character cut from the movie or was she playing someone that still showed up in the finalized story and she was simply recast.

Looking at the version of Iron Man 3 released to the public, there were only two primary characters, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts and Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen, plus Stephanie Szostak getting some screen time as Extremis-powered henchwoman Ellen Brandt. Maybe Clarke was the original actress to play Maya Hansen, back when the character had a bigger role in the movie? It’s also possible that Clarke was the original actress tapped to play Ellen Brandt, although even though she wasn’t nearly as famous back then, that seems like it would have been too small a role for her.

I’m more inclined to think that Emilia Clarke was tapped to appear in Iron Man 3 as a character who was removed from the story, meaning that there’s no shortage of possibilities about who this individual was. One fan noted how on Drew Pearce’s post that Emilia Clarke had auditioned to play Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and wondered if the character was supposed to show up in Iron Man 3 first, to which Pearce responded, “Good guess but no.”

In any case, Emilia Clarke missed out on appearing in Iron Man 3, but that doesn’t mean she won’t get another opportunity to appear in another superhero movie down the line. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has plenty of movies coming up that Clarke could score a leading role in. Or, maybe she could follow in the footsteps of Game of Thrones costar Jason Momoa and hop to the DC Extended Universe instead. We’ll just have to wait and see.

With Game of Thrones now over, Emilia Clarke will appear next in Netflix’s Last Christmas. As for the MCU, Avengers: Endgame is still going strong in theaters and Spider-Man: Far From Home will wrap up Phase 3 on July 2.

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Danny DeVito Teased Michael Keaton About Dumbo's Batman Returns Role Reversal

Danny DeVito Teased Michael Keaton About Dumbo's Batman Returns Role Reversal

For Tim Burton’s remake of the 1941 Disney classic Dumbo, the prolific filmmaker reassembled his Dark Knight and Penguin from Batman Returns to play alongside the soaring circus elephant. 27 years later, Burton opted to give Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito a different roles in his film to play this time around. Looks like DeVito couldn’t get enough of the role-reversal, per his recent words:

In Batman, [Keaton] plays the good guy. Now in Dumbo, I play the good guy and he plays the bad guy. I needle him about it all the time.

Insert DeVito’s penguin chuckle here. The character actor is well-known for playing a signature baddie, especially in 1992’s Batman Returns, alongside Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, along with his other iconic roles of Mr. Wormwood in Matilda and his longtime mischief as Frank on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. He loved the idea of going back to playing a character of a softer, kind-hearted nature with Disney’s Dumbo, especially since Keaton would now be the one he gets to steal the good guy glory from.

In the family-friendly flick, Danny DeVito plays Max Medici, a ringmaster of a financially struggling circus who is approached by Michael Keaton’s V. A. Vandevere, a powerful entrepreneur who has bigger plans and dollar signs in his eyes for his popular spectacle Dumbo soon becomes.

Michael Keaton recently pulled off another villainous role in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, so it’s not a big surprise for audiences. Danny DeVito’s recent comments to Entertainment Weekly seem to indicate a fondness for how the tables have turned since their last movie together. Although, there’s another reason why he was attracted to taking on a more friendly role in Dumbo. In his words:

Sometimes I embarrass my kids. On Sunny, I do a lot of crazy things. Sometimes I cringe when I think about how this is gonna play with my kids. In Dumbo, I think they were all pretty happy. I’m in good shape with my kids.

In recent years, Danny Devito has been seen seldom on the big screen due to his hilarious 13 season stint as Frank on his FX comedy series, where the actor will do or say just about anything for a good bit. As you can imagine, the often twisted humor that’s a regular on the show doesn’t always play well with his children.

It’s certainly nice to see Danny DeVito back in a movie, and with Michael Keaton as they take on opposite dynamics from their Batman Returns roles. DeVito will also star in more family-friendly faire in the upcoming Jumanji sequel alongside Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black coming in December.

As far as Batman and Penguin go, the upcoming new iteration of the character from Matt Reeves is rumored to feature the two adversaries facing off once again, following Tim Burton’s 1992 take.

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Keira Knightley Says She Only Watches Her Films Once

Keira Knightley Says She Only Watches Her Films Once

We all have favorite actors that we love to see in movies. We'll watch our favorite performances and favorite stories again and again. However, not every actor who makes those movies is quite as excited to watch them as the rest of us. Keira Knightley recently admitted that she doesn't like to watch herself on screen and will usually only watch her films once. According to Knightley...

No, yeah. I dunno, it’s just weird. It’s like hearing your own voice. I dunno and I only see the bad bits. So, I’m like, ‘Oh, why did I do that?’

As somebody who regularly has to transcribe interviews I have done, I know exactly how strange, and largely off-putting, hearing your own voice can be. It seems that for Keira Knightley, the experience is only amplified. She not only has to hear her own voice, but see herself on screen and watch all the decisions that she made, including the ones she wishes she could do over.

Knightley says she only watches her movies once "if that." I would assume that question comes down to whether or not she attends the premiere of her movies. If she makes it, that's probably the only time she ever sees the film in question. If she doesn't for whatever reason, then she probably never bothers to go back and see the final product.

Knightley is far from the only person who avoids watching her own work. Many in Hollywood have talked about how they rarely if ever watch themselves. Putting yourself up on the screen like that makes an actor quite vulnerable. However, it probably doesn't necessity feel that way when you're shooting the movie. As long as you never go back and watch the movie, you don't realize how much of yourself you're putting out there. Honestly, it's far better than if she loved her own movies so much that she watched them a lot. If that happened, we'd have to worry.

Check out Keira Knightley's full comments on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the clip below.

Of course, one has to wonder if Keira Knightley might start watching more of her movies again over the next several years. She has a three and a half year old daughter, as she told Jimmy Fallon, and one has to assume that as that girl gets older and begins to understand just what it is her mother does, the kid is going to want to watch those films. As she becomes old enough to see them, Knightley might find her movies on in her house whether she likes it or not. Whether or not she likes that. Perhaps by then she'll be more comfortable with them.

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Upcoming Harry Potter Books, Movies And More: What's Ahead In J.K. Rowling's Magical Universe

Upcoming Harry Potter Books, Movies And More: What's Ahead In J.K. Rowling's Magical Universe

When it comes to the Harry Potter universe, J.K. Rowling can't stop, won't stop, and we're not complaining. While the author may be content to leave Harry Potter's story be for now, there's still plenty for Harry Potter fans to look forward to. In an effort to keep it all straight, we've put together this handy guide of what's out and what's coming up for Harry Potter fans.

Upcoming Harry Potter-Related Books

When Harry Potter and the Cursed Child made its official premiere in London's West End, J.K. Rowling said she that "Harry is done now," following the character's reappearance in Cursed Child. While she may be ready to put Harry's story to rest, it's unlikely that she has any intention of abandoning the universe entirely. Her involvement in the Fantastic Beasts spinoff and the sequels that are lined up for the years to come are evidence of that.

In the meantime, new versions of the original Harry Potter books do occasionally find their way onto shelves...

Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets House Edition

In anticipation of the 20th anniversary of the publishing of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Pottermore announced that a House Edition of the second book in the Harry Potter series will be hitting shelves Summer 2018. As you may recall, a similar edition was released to celebrate Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone's anniversary. Those sorted Harry Potter fans can celebrate their house pride by picking up one of the four House Editions of Chamber of Secrets, each with a colored cover matching the house colors for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. It hits shelves July 2, but you can pre-order it at Bloomsbury now.

Unlike the Philosopher Stone's editions, which included the house crests on each cover, it looks like Chamber of Secret's House Edition will feature the same snaky illustration on its cover, likely a nod to the titular chamber (#SlytherinPride?), with a variation on the frame around the snake illustration to match the respective house. In addition to the colorful cover makeover, Pottermore says the new edition will also include an illustration of your chosen house's common room by artist Levi Pinfold as well as a written introduction to that house. We'll also get a mini-feature on house-elves. if you recall, Chamber of Secrets introduced the being to the series in the form of non other than Harry Potter enthusiast himself, Dobby.

Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire Illustrated Edition

The illustrated edition for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has not yet been officially announced, however, assuming Bloomsbury continues to release one a year, as they have so far with the first three books, we expect to see Book 4 arrive in all its illustrated glory in or around October 2018. We'll be sure to update once we have confirmation and details on pre-ordering.

Upcoming Harry Potter Movies

Fantastic Beasts was originally discussed as a planned trilogy, but then in November 2016, J.K. Rowling announced that the story would be spread out over five films. Producer David Heyman confirmed to us that they're aiming to release one film for the series every two years.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them 2

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them 2 -- titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald -- is slated to arrive in theaters November 16, 2018. From what we know about the film, the sequel will take Newt Scamander back to the United Kingdom, as well as to Paris, France. (More spoilery information related to the first film ahead!) Newt, Tina, Queenie and Jacob are expected to return, though an official cast list has not been revealed. We're also expecting to see a comeback for Ezra Miller's character Credence. Depp's Grindelwald will obviously make an appearance, and we also know we'll be seeing a relatively young Albus Dumbledore, with Jude Law set to fill the eventual headmaster's shoes. Get more info about the movie here.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Stage Production

The West End stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is currently showing at the Palace Theatre in London, though tickets are typically hard to come by and should be bought ahead of time, unless you want to try your luck at the lottery.

It was announced in 2017 that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be making its way to Australia at Melbourne's Princess Theatre in early 2019. And Wizards, witches and no-majes stateside who aren't able to get to London to see the show will only have to go as far as New York to catch the production when it arrives on Broadway in 2018...

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in New York City

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is expected to open at the newly-renovated Lyric Theatre on April 22, 2018. The Broadway theater is being completely redesigned for the production. The original trio of stars -- Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger), and Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley) -- will reprise their roles for the show.

In October 2017, registration opened for tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's Broadway production. Fans are required to register over the five-day window, for a chance to receive an access code to purchase tickets on October 18, 2017.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Movie?

J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros have made it pretty clear that there are presently no plans for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to be made into a movie. And taking into account that tickets for the West End production are sold out through 2017, it seems unlikely that there would be plans to rush this story into cinemas anytime soon.

In early 2017, a rumor began circulating that there was a plan to make a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie years from now, when the original Harry Potter stars were close to the age of their respective characters in the 19-years-later setting of the play. Though the rumor seemed viable, given that it put plenty of distance between now and when this potential trilogy would take place, J.K. Rowling promptly shut down speculation on the idea, stating that it is "NO TRUTH" to the rumor. So that's that. (Again.)

It may also be fair to speculate that a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage production world tour would happen before a feature adaptation is made, and there hasn't been any official word of that happening anytime soon either (though Rowling did mention that if the demand is there, it'll tour). So for the time being, those who want to experience the magic that is the Cursed Child play -- and I'm almost convinced there are moments of actual magic taking place on stage because some of the special effects are pretty spectacular -- will have to get to London's Palace Theatre or New York City to see it.

Recently and Previously Released Harry Potter books

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them - Illustrated Edition

Those of us who already own about five copies of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them will soon have an excuse to buy one more. Hitting shelves November 7, 2017 is the fully illustrated edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. This is the (updated) text book on which the movie was loosely based, not the screenplay book. As there are quite a few beasts featured in the book that haven't made it to the screen yet, this new grab at Harry Potter fans' wallets will give us our first look at some of the magical beasts wandering the Harry Potter world. The color illustrations come from artist Olivia Lomenech Gill, and will use a variety of artistic techniques to depict the beasts. 10% of the proceeds from the suggested retail price ($34.99) of each copy sold will go to Comic Relief and J.K Rowling's Lumos Foundation. There will also apparently be a collector's edition available for a retail price of $175.00.

Get the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Illustrated Edition here.

The British Library did a special exhibition in the U.K. called Harry Potter: A History of Magic. With it came the release of a book called Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic. Amazon offers both a kindle edition and a paperback. While this book isn't exactly the comprehensive History of Magic tome that hardcore Harry Potter fans have been clamoring for, it's a lovely, illustrated guide filled with oodles of information about J.K. Rowling's magical universe. The book hit shelves October 20, 2017.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition

Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban Illustrated Edition hit shelves October 3, 2017, and features 115 illustrations from artist Jim Kay. The third book in the series is (naturally) the third book to receive the illustrated edition treatment. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone arrived on shelves on October 6, 2015. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets hit shelves October 4, 2016. So it seems Prisoner of Azkaban's release is right on schedule to Scholastic/Bloomsbury's one-a-year plan. We've previously gotten a glimpse of the illustrations for the new edition of Azkaban, including Jim Kay's excellent take on Severus Snape. Among the illustrations included in the book is an excellently creepy look at Sirius Black.

Maybe you've already got enough copies of Harry Potter to satisfying your magical cravings, but if you're looking for an excuse to buy the books again, these illustrated editions do not disappoint.

Get Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition here.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (rerelease with new content)

The Harry Potter bonus book, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, was re-released in the wake of the recent (loose) film adaptation. To be clear, this is the reference guide, which was originally released in 2001 and is formatted like a Hogwarts textbook, indexing and describing the various beasts in the Harry Potter universe. It is not a novel, though the introduction does include a few (somewhat spoilery) tidbits about the books author, Newt Scamander. The new edition arrived on March 14, 2017, and includes six additional magical beasts, as well as a forward by Fantastic Beasts author Newt Scamander. The book also include illustrations by Tomislav Tomic. Get it here.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Audiobook

Well, this is new. In addition to a re-release of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, an audiobook edition for the textbook is was released the same day the new edition of the book came out. Eddie Redmayne narrates the book. Normally, I would've hoped that Jim Dale -- narrator of the U.S. versions of the Harry Potter books -- would be back for this, but having the textbook narrated by Newt Scamander himself is far too perfect to complain. Based on Audible's page, it looks like the whole recording is about two hours long. Get it here.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Hogwarts House Editions

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the original publication of the first Harry Potter book in the U.K, Bloomsbury -- the publishing house for the books in the United Kingdom -- re-released Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with special house covers. So those Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Slytherins out there can celebrate their house pride with a special edition of the book. Expect to see the respective house crest on each cover, as well as sprayed edges in the house colors. These special editions also include fact files and character profiles, as well as line illustrations exclusive to that house. The Hogwarts House Editions hit shelves on June 1, 2017, and are available on Amazon.co.uk, as well as directly through Bloomsbury.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Screenplay Book

Not to be confused with the reference guide by which the film Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is loosely inspired, Fantastic Beast and Where To Find Them: The Original Screenplay includes the shooting script for Fantastic Beasts. Those hoping for a novel will be disappointed, but the book is actually a really great bonus to the film, as it includes some descriptions and insights to certain scenes that are really left to interpretation in the actual movie. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: The Original Screenplay hit shelves the day the film arrived in theaters (November 18), and can be purchased in hardcover and ebook.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Illustrated edition.

In 2015, a new illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone) was released in hardcover. Last October, a hardcover version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets hit shelves. For those who love these books enough to buy them more than once, Jim Kay's incredible illustrations are well worth the reasonable price tag. Amazon currently has Chamber of Secrets available for purchase for $23.99.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script book

Following the debut of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a script book for the play was published, allowing Harry Potter fans to read both parts of the play. To be clear, this book is not a novel, however it does contain the full play, for those who aren't able to get to London to see it, or for those who want to relive the theatrical magic in script form.

Pottermore Essays and eBooks

J.K. Rowling occasionally drops new writings on Pottermore.com, and hopefully that won't cease anytime soon. Also, the Harry Potter site recently released a series of ebooks, which include essays from J.K. Rowling, some new, some previously published on Pottermore.com. Those are out now, and include:

Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists

Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide

Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies

There are currently no movies directly related to the lead characters featured in the original Harry Potter books, however, Warner Bros. has reignited Harry Potter fans' appetite for magic on the big screen with the debut of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a film that joins the Potterverse franchise, and is launching a new series of movies.

Previously Released Movie: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them arrived in theaters on November 18, 2016. The film is both a spinoff and a prequel to the Harry Potter stories. It centers on Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the wizard and magizoologist responsible for penning the titular textbook that would go on to be studied by Harry, Ron and Hermione, not to mention countless other Hogwarts students. The story is set in the 1920s, seventy years before Harry Potter attended Hogwarts. Fantastic Beasts follows Newt as he visits New York for what's supposed to be a short stay, but ends up stuck there for longer when his collection of beasts gets loose in the city. (Vague spoilers ahead!)

Magic and mayhem ensue, as do the introduction of numerous key characters, including former MACUSA auror Tina (Katherine Waterston), her legilimens sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), No-maj Jacob (Dan Fogler), MACUSA auror Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) and Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller). The film also features a crucial appearance by Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is now available on home video, and streaming on HBO Now.

Warner Bros. has released all eight movies together in 4K Ultra HD. Check out the blu-ray box set here.

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Beyond books and movies, there are other ways for Harry Potter fans to get in on the magic. Pottermore.com, the official Harry Potter website, allows fans to register to get sorted into a Hogwarts house, be assigned their wand, and be sorted into their Ilvermorny house (for those aspiring witches and wizards who want to know where they'd be sorted in the North American wizarding school). The most recent addition to Pottermore was the highly (massively, hugely) anticipated Patronus test, which allows fans to take a quiz that will determine their Patronus. J.K. Rowling mentioned on Twitter that she created that test herself, so it's about as official as it gets, short of real magic. You must be logged in to take the test.

Theme Parks

On the theme park side of things, the latest major development was the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood. The California park gives U.S. residents and visitors a West Coast alternative to the Universal Studios Orlando location. There's also a Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Japan.

For those looking for an even more movies-centered experience, Warner Bros. offers a studio tour in Leavesden, which features various exhibits containing set pieces and props for the original Harry Potter movies. There's also a pretty incredible model of Hogwarts that needs to be seen.

For the gamers, Harry Potter joined the LEGO Dimensions universe. Players are now able to unlock Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley among the LEGO Dimensions locations. You can also apparently build a flying Ford Anglia and Hogwarts Express, and play as Harry Potter or Lord Voldemort.

Don't see what you're looking for? Leave a comment and we'll do some digging to see what the latest news is on what's ahead for Harry Potter fans.

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