The Harry Potterverse just keeps on growing and we wouldn’t have it any other way. The sequel to Fantastic Beasts is coming, and it has been making a whole lot of headlines lately. The second film installment in the Fantastic Beasts series and the tenth production in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World will hit theatres next year and will bring back the old cast and some ‘Fantastic’ new additions.
Rowling announced last year that the Fantastic Beasts series would have five films, but the series' timeline will end in 1945. It is very important to keep up with the chronology of the series, as the Fantastic Beasts series starring Eddie Redmayne takes place around sixty years before Harry Potter begins. So, while you will see several Potterverse regulars like Albus Dumbledore in the movies, you will also see some names which have never been seen in the Potterverse before.There is a lot to keep up within the Fantastic Beasts series, and we suggest you pay attention to all the details.
Image Source: ew.com
Fantastic Beasts and Where To…. delved into the wizarding world of 1920 New York. Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Redmayne), comes to New York in search of magical creatures and encounters some of the darkest witches and wizards of his time.
At the end of the film, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (played by Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp), is arrested by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America). Scamander helps in capturing Grindelwald, but he does not know that Grindelwald’s reign of terror has just begun.
Grindelwald of course escapes and starts making an army. Interestingly, his motive is very similar to Voldemort’s - to raise legions of pure-blood wizards and witches and suppression of half-bloods.
Image Source: www.suurs.com
One of the most exciting character addition in Crimes of Grindelwald is of course, a young Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law. Potterdom has been eagerly waiting to see a young Dumbledore in action, especially since, his relationship with Grindelwald is one of the main arcs of the film.
Another character fans can’t wait for is of course, Depp as Grindelwald. Now, he did appear in the first film, but only for seconds. The sequel, as the title suggests, will have a lot more of Gellert Grindelwald.
Image Source: www.theguardian.com
The sequel brings back the original cast - Scamander (Redmayne), Tina (Katherine Waterston), Queenie (Alison Sudol), Jacob (Dan Fogler) and Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller). The sequel will also see Zoe Kravits as Leta Lestrange. Yes, she is most likely related to the evil Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. In fact, theories suggest that Leta is Bellatrix’s grandmother-in-law. So, watch out for that deet!
Image Source: ew.com
Crimes of Grindelwald is set in Paris and would delve deeper into the wizarding world of Europe. Grindelwald will raise hell, in his attempts to create a pureblood army, and might have another shady dimension to his character. How Scamander along with Dumbledore stops him forms the crux of the plot.
Image Source: www.spoilertv.com
Now, if you’re a Potter pro, you know all about Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s relationship. The two wizards grew up together and shared a deep bond. But got in a duel in which Dumbledore’s sister Ariana lost her life. The two wizards have been at war since then, and have obviously gone their own separate ways.
It is also important to note that Grindelwald and Dumbledore had a romantic attachment, which was one of the reasons fans have been so anxious to see the romance pan out on screen. Depp and Law’s pairing of course, adds a rather interesting shade to the storyline.
Image Source: www.theguardian.com
There is growing tension among the fandom that Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s story will take away a lot of the focus away from Newt Scamander’s character development. And since Rowling herself has never revealed much about the relationship between the two wizards, the film will have to go in deep into their pasts.
Some fans have even suggested that Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s storyline demands a separate spin-off to do them proper justice.
Image Source: www.polygon.com
Rowling has revealed that the Fantastic Beasts series will lead up to the infamous duel between Grindelwald and Dumbledore of 1945. The teaser poster of the sequel shows both the wizards with two wands, but Grindelwald possesses the Elder Wand.
The beginning of Crimes of Grindelwald will show Grindelwald escaping prison. And while the film takes place in 1927, the battle in question will take place almost two decades later in 1945. So, it is clear that the series will take its own sweet time to unravel, and the battle will obviously end with Dumbledore acquiring the Elder Wand. The Wand also prominently features in Harry Potter’s life.
Image Source: www.cinemablend.com
Thousands of fans questioned the casting if Depp in the franchise, in the light of domestic abuse allegations that were made against him. Last year, he divorced his wife of fifteen months, Amber Heard, who had accused Depp of physically and emotionally abusing her.
While Depp had never been proven guilty, fans were outraged that an alleged assaulter was asked to be part of a children’s fantasy series. Many fans pointed out that Harry himself was a victim of emotional and mental abuse, and Depp’s casting was a major mistake.
Image Source: www.newsweek.com
Fans urged the creator of Potterverse to say something about Depp’s involvement in the series, so she took to her blog to clear the airs. “Agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected. Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies," Rowling wrote in support of Depp.
Image Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Crimes of Grindelwald is scheduled to release on November 16, 2018, in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D.
Image Source: www.ytimg.com