J.K. Rowling Teases 'Harry Potter' Spinoff Will Reveal An American Wizarding School With Native American Origins

Despite the stories’ immense popularity in the U.S., J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series cautiously avoided revealing too much information about the universe’s wizarding culture in America. Now, in the upcoming movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the author has confirmed that will change.

Rowling teased the information on Twitter, where CinemaBlend notes that she previously revealed some key plot details about the movie’s setting in New York. This time, she allowed a few targeted questions from fans to get her to confess the existence of an American school of witchcraft and wizardry.

.@tannerfbowen No, but he's going to meet people who were educated at [name] in [not New York].
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2015

Apparently, principal character Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) will bring the "Harry Potter" universe to the U.S. for the very first time in the franchise’s history in order to collect research on the wizarding world’s most incredible creatures. Set in the 1920s, 70 years before the events in the original “Harry Potter” saga, Newt will make his way to America. Rowling revealed that he won’t actually visit the American school, as it’s not located in New York. Instead, he’ll just encounter people that were educated there.

Variety previously reported that the movie will feature four American characters, two boys and two girls, leading many to believe that when Scamander makes his way to New York, they’ll be the American wizards educated at the mysterious school. As for the name of the school, Rowling wasn’t willing to say much. However, when pressed by a fan to know if the school had any origins in Native American culture, the author just couldn’t help herself.

.@loonyloolaluna Oh wait - did you mean the NAME is of American Indian origin? It isn't. The name is of immigrant origin.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 7, 2015

.@loonyloolaluna However, indigenous magic was important in the founding of the school. If I say which tribes, location is revealed.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 7, 2015

.@loonyloolaluna If I answer that fully it will reveal the location of the school, but you can take that as a yes!
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 7, 2015

Apparently, the name of the school will be of immigrant origin – whatever that means. However, it will have a basis in “indigenous magic,” hinting at the existence of some kind of partnership between Native Americans and settlers during the colonization of North America. That partnership resulted in the school’s establishment, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is scheduled to hit theaters Nov. 18, 2016. Rowling is writing the screenplay with the assistance of “Harry Potter” veteran David Yates.