A movie about Voldemort's backstory is coming to screens

Independent film company Tryangle is set to release Voldemort: The Origins of the Heir in just a few months. The production hopes to shed some light on the back story of He Who Shall Not Be Named, as well as show how "valuable movies" can be made without a mammoth budget.

The film follows Tom Riddle's graduation from Hogwarts and sudden departure from his job at antiques shop Borgin and Burkes, prior to him committing several murders and transforming into the Voldemort Harry Potter readers will be all-too familiar with.

But while Harry Potter fans have already worked themselves into a frenzy - with the film's first trailer (which has since been pulled down) already scoring millions of views - the filmmakers are quick to stress the movie isn't associated with Warner Bros or JK Rowling.

In fact, it is set to avoid a theatrical release altogether and head straight to YouTube, despite the seemingly high-quality production values. That's because it is "a non-profit fan film, inspired by the Harry Potter universe". It is also being crowdfunded.

However, when you experiment with the Harry Potter universe - even if it's not technically considered cannon - you're bound to step on a few toes.

Fans have already pointed out that the trailer introduces a character by the name of Grisha McLaggen Jnr, who claims to be the heir to Gryffindor, when the heir is actually Harry Potter. There is a McLaggen in the Harry Potter books who plays on the Gryffindor quidditch team, but he clearly isn't the one who summons the Sword of Gryffindor or ends up killing Voldemort.

For their part, the filmmakers have hinted on social media that this logical inconsistency will be smoothed over once the full film sees the light of day.

As for the legal implications, there's no word yet as to whether Warner Bros or JK Rowling will be calling in the lawyers (although eagle-eyed viewers will see there is a notable absence of the words "Harry" and "Potter" throughout the trailer).

Tryangle's founders, Gianmaria Pezzato and Stefano Prestia, have been approached for comment.