Production for Disney’s newest live-action film, Dumbo, is currently underway, and director Tim Burton is currently in England shooting the film. So while he had nothing to offer us in terms of footage, he did send everyone at D23 a kind video message saying that he is in the midst of shooting, and could not wait to show us the entire film. Of course, with a video message like that, you don’t expect to see him in just a stuffy room. Instead, he was on board the Casey Jr. engine. He also provided some very cool photos and concept art that gives us an idea of the world that he is creating.

The Beguiled
Director: Sofia Coppola
Screenwriter: Sofia Coppola
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Colin Farrell
Distributor: Focus Features
Rated R | 94 Minutes
Release Date: June 23, 2017

Sofia Coppola‘s first short film, 1998’s Lick the Star, follows a clique of teenage girls led by Chloe, who is obsessed with V.C. Andrews’ novel, Flowers in the Attic. Chloe orchestrates a plan with her girl gang to “weaken” the boys they don’t like at their school by poisoning their lunches with arsenic. The 14-minute black and white 16mm short film shows early signs of Coppola’s fascination with the themes of isolation and identity, sexual awakening, and the trauma of adolescence.

Since then, Coppola has explored these ideas in the 18th, 20th, and 21st centuries with Marie Antoinette, The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Somewhere, and The Bling Ring. Now, the writer-director journeys to the 19th century with The Beguiled, a remake of the 1971 film of the same name, based on the 1966 Southern Gothic novel, A Painted Devil, by Thomas P. Cullinan.

Disney is popping up the circus tent for Tim Burton‘s Dumbo. Danny DeVito and Eva Green will appear in the live-action animation hybrid, with the possibility of Colin Farrell joining the cast.

Now there are reports that say Michael Keaton is in talks to play the role of the villain. More on the story below.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Director: David Yates
Screenwriter: J.K. Rowling
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, Colin Farrell
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Rated PG | 113 minutes
Release Date: November 28, 2016

Though the adventures of Harry Potter may have come to an end, J.K. Rowling’s legacy lives on. Now fans will be getting at five new spinoffs that expand the Harry Potter universe starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a prequel that is set decades before the events of the phenomenon that started it all. While I wasn’t a fan of the original books and never really got into the films themselves, Fantastic Beasts is whimsical and fun, and manages to address a few relevant themes that affect us all. One thing is for sure, it will give anyone without any prior knowledge of the books or films a reason to look at why Harry Potter has remained popular all these years.

It’s real easy to see why everyone is excited for another Harry Potter film. Though his story has ended, the franchise will continue to live on through spinoffs and prequels.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the first of those films, centering on Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) a Magizoologist of the early 1920s, whose works helped inspire the textbook seen in the first Harry Potter film. Now the film will give us a look at his adventures. But before all of that could happen, Warner Brothers is pleased to announce that they will be holding a free global fan event in 18 major cities around the world. More on the story and a video below.