Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them could be about to secure a director, with franchise veteran David Yates currently in discussions with Warner.

Having taken the helm on the final four films of the main series, Yates clearly possesses an affinity with the material that the studio is keen to tap into once more.

It had previously been suggested that Prisoner Of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuarón would take the position, only for the Mexican filmmaker to turn down the opportunity.

The new film will be set long before the events of the previous films, and will follow the exploits of adventurer and magical creature aficionado, Newt Scamander.

The screenplay has been penned by none other than J.K. Rowling herself, so we’ve got high hopes for this one, and with an established Potter enthusiast like Yates on board, we could be in for a real treat…

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them will open in the UK on 18 November 2016.