All the Potterheads can rejoice as Warner Bros. just gave the green light to a "Harry Potter" prequel on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named a.k.a Lord Voldemort. Titled "Voldemort: Origins of the Heir," the movie aims to give an insight into what could have transformed the young wizard into the powerful and vicious Dark Lord.
About the prequel
The #Short Film will focus on the part of Voldemort’s life that was left out in the "Harry Potter" film series. It will look at “what happened in those years, and what really went down at Hogwarts when he came back” director Gianmaria Pezzato told Polygon.
Tryangle Films, an Indie production company, debuted the trailer for their movie on May 28th this year. The video went viral, racking up over 3.3 million views on YouTube. Praised for its visual effects and production design, the trailer helped the company raise over £13,000, to complete the film.
In an interview with Polygon, Director Pezzato revealed that Warner Bros. had a private and confidential discussion with the production company during the crowdfunding campaign. Initially, Warner opposed the fan film, but recently, the production giant jumped on board, officially approving the project.
What's the storyline?
"Origins of the Heir" chronicles the life of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the former Hogwarts student who eventually became He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the most feared Dark Lord in the "Harry Potter" saga.
The movie has an intriguing plot that begins to unravel when Grisha Mac Laggen, heiress of Gryffindor, discovers that Hepzibah Smith, a descendant of the Hufflepuff family, has been murdered. Although the case goes cold, Laggen believes that Tom Riddle is somehow involved.
Other than the Slytherin heir, Tom Riddle, the short film will also feature additional original characters from the Potterverse, according to the production company’s official website.
Directed, written and edited by Gianmaria Pezzato, the non-profit film is a spin-off of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth book in the series. However, J.K Rowling won’t be involved in the project. "Voldemort: Origins of the Heir" will be released for free, on YouTube, hopefully before the end of this year.
Meanwhile, J.K Rowling has finished writing the script for the hotly anticipated "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them" sequel. It’s going to be the second installment of the five planned movies in the "Fantastic Beast" franchise. Starring Eddie Redmayne , Johnny Depp and Jude Law, the film will hit theatres on November 16, 2018.