Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them release date announcement surprised everyone yesterday.

I enjoy being quick to cover a big Potter news story, so I was disappointed when I learned about the release date a hour after the fact. But this is why I bring my laptop with me everywhere – including Bruce Springsteen concerts. I was driving to one yesterday, pulled over to the side of the road, and wrote the story up from the driver’s seat (Special shout out to New York’s “Text Stop” areas on the highways!).

Anyway, with a release date now set, all eyes begin to focus on things like the director, casting, and start of production. I’m extremely excited about this, so while driving yesterday I brainstormed how this can all play out between now and November.

First of all, I want to note that WB’s plan for Fantastic Beasts continues to follow the same path they took with The Hobbit as I noted in March: The first movie is being released in November, and I’m going to bet that the second and third movies are released in November as well.

Second, as a commenter pointed out to us yesterday, it will be exactly 15 years since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone opened in theaters (November 16, 2001). That’ll be an important milestone for WB to note.

Now, time for the predictions…

Spring/Summer 2015: Start of production

There’s not much to say in this section other than to note that we should have a director and a cast nailed down by the middle of next year. As previously reported, David Heyman is back in the Potter world to produce.

The casting of Newt will be very important because he’ll be the face of the series for years to come.

In articles we released last year we speculated over who could play Newt Scamander and which characters we could see from the Potter series making an appearance. The latter is really important because it will help Warner Bros. sell the series to fans who miss the Wizarding World.

Winter 2015: The first trailer

Our first major look at Fantastic Beasts will naturally come with a trailer, and we’re going to predict that the teaser trailer will be released in December 2015 – one year before the movie hits theaters. You know what film opens in December, 2015? Star Wars: Episode VII. That’s a perfect (and huge) audience to share the trailer with.

Summer 2016: San Diego Comic-Con blow out

I’m a bit disappointed that Fantastic Beasts won’t be opening in the summer, because the best Potter movie releases were the ones where we waited in line on a warm summer night.

The good news is that the November date means Warner Bros. will be promoting it like crazy at the pop culture mecca that is San Diego Comic-Con. Expect the cast and crew of the movie to be there. A trailer will likely be released here as well.

Summer 2016: Publish a Newt Scamander eBook

If Fantastic Beasts isn’t a hit when it opens in theaters, one reason may be that no one cares about Newt. No one really has a good idea of who this guy is. Will Warner Bros. be able to sell him on trailers and images alone?

I suggest that J.K. Rowling writes up a Newt Scamander prequel of sorts that introduces the character so that we can begin to care about him. It should be published as a free eBook, or one for $.99 with royalties going to charity.

If the author publishes a “Harry Potter prequel” (as journalists will call it), it will get major media attention. I don’t have to tell you that part of the reason the Harry Potter movies were so popular was because the source material was so beloved. WB surely has to take this into consideration if they’re hoping to launch a new franchise.

Summer 2016: Publish the Encyclopedia

An eBook would be great, but it still won’t be enough. WB will want to rev up the Harry Potter fandom again in all ways possible.

With all due respect to the various aspects of the franchise since Deathly Hallows, Part 2 hit theaters, the fandom has been very tame since July 2011.

What better way to get fans excited again than by announcing that the Harry Potter Encyclopedia (which apparently exists) will be released in July 2016, the summer before the film? Many Potter book releases took place in the summer, and each one was bigger than the next.

I think this idea also makes sense because Pottermore could realistically finish releasing chapters by around the same time. As I’ve speculated on MuggleCast, the encyclopedia probably won’t be published until after Pottermore releases all seven books so that they don’t step on each other’s toes.

Alternate theory: The Encyclopedia is released Summer 2017 to coincide with the ten-year anniversary of Deathly Hallows being published.

What do you think of these predictions? Share your own in the comments!