'Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them' Filming Moves To Liverpool; Producer Says Location 'Works Perfectly' For Spinoff

Filming for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is well underway and it appears things are going swimmingly for the cast and crew. Filming has been done just outside of London on a studio lot, but that's all about to change. Producer David Heyman and the rest of the team behind the "Harry Potter" spinoff are gearing up for a trip to northern England, which he seems rather excited about.

According to the BBC, the next round of filming is being done in Liverpool. It is the only non-studio shooting for the film. Heyman said he is optimistic the port city will be a great location as it is full of beautiful architecture reminiscent of 1920s New York, the setting for "Fantastic Beasts."

"We are thrilled to be bringing 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' to Liverpool, a city which has such fond memories for me. My mother is from Liverpool and, as a child, we would often visit family there," Heyman said, according to the Liverpool Echo. The producer added that the city "works perfectly" for the upcoming fantasy film.

As we previously reported, filming began Aug. 17; Warner Bros announced (via Entertainment Weekly) that "Beasts" had begun production at Warner's Leavesden Studios north of London. The facility has more than 13 stages and its back lot covers more than 100 acres. The studio is the same used for much of the "Harry Potter" franchise. According to its website, the lot has an old runway, various open fields, wooded areas, hills and "clear horizons," allowing for a variety of scenes to be filmed there.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is slated for November 2016 release. The film will serve as a prequel to the "Harry Potter" hits, following magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) on his many adventures traveling in search of magical creatures.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is an adaptation of J.K. Rowling's 2001 book, which purported to be a textbook written by Scamander and used by Harry while a student at Hogwarts. However, there will be no crossovers between the new movie and the "Potter" franchise. In fact, author and screenwriter Rowling has told fans the film takes place many years before Harry Potter was even born. The book suggests Newt began researching magical creatures in 1918 and published his textbook in 1927.