Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Fantastic
Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is the second of five all new adventures in
J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World™. At the end of the first film, the powerful
Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical
Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander
(Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody
and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to
raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.
In an effort to thwart
Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student
Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead.
Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends
and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
The film features an ensemble
cast led by Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra
Miller, with Jude Law and Johnny Depp. The cast also includes, Zoë Kravitz,
Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Carmen Ejogo, and
Poppy Corby-Tuech. “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is directed by
David Yates, from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling.
The film is produced by David
Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. Slated for release on
November 16, 2018, the film will be distributed worldwide in 2D and 3D in
select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment
Company.
Everything we noticed from the Fantastic Beasts: The
Crimes of Grindelwald Comic-Con trailer
The Elder Wand! A familiar mirror! Mini-Newt! More
Hogwarts! The new Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailer, which
debuted at San Diego Comic-Con today, is chock-full of wizarding treats. Here’s
a few that we found particularly enchanting.
The trailer begins with a flashback to Newt’s Hogwarts
days (where we learn he has been rocking that curly mop hairstyle since his
teens) and see him being taught to tackle a Boggart by... Jude Law’s Albus
Dumbledore! How intriguing. In the Harry Potter books, we know that Albus
Dumbledore used to teach Transfiguration – now we see him teaching Defence
Against the Dark Arts. Was he subbing in? In an interview with Entertainment
Weekly, Jude Law says Dumbledore wasn’t teaching Transfiguration ‘at this stage’.
We know Dumbledore is a multi-talented guy (check his various accolades) so he probably did both.
The flashback reveals that Newt’s Boggart (a creature that transforms into whatever
the witch or wizard fears the most) is not a Mummy, or a Banshee, or anything
horrible and scaly, but a simple writing desk. It turns out Newt’s greatest
fear is... gasp! Working in an office!
MACUSA officials float a bedraggled Grindelwald (Johnny
Depp) through what appears to be a cell block in MACUSA’s prison.
However, based on what we see later on in the trailer,
his incarceration clearly doesn’t last very long…
‘Magic blooms only in rare souls. Still, we must skulk in
the shadows. But the old ways serve us no longer.’
A definitely-not-locked-up-anymore Grindelwald (with
shorter hair, this time) delivers a grand speech to who are presumably his
followers. The speech touches on the themes we saw in the first Fantastic
Beasts film – with American wizards living in hiding from No-Majs: enforcing
stricter rules than we’ve seen in wizarding Europe. Grindelwald tells his crowd
that those ways ‘serve us no longer’ – which surely must mean one thing: a
rebellion.
Dumbledore’s voice explains that
Grindelwald had a vision that he would rise to dominance in the wizarding
world. Much like how Voldemort was guided by a Prophecy, it seems Grindelwald is also
haunted by future events yet-to-come. We can also glimpse a moment in the
trailer where Grindelwald sees a golden ghostly form of Credence… Does Credence
have something to do with it?
Actress Claudia Kim plays a character
only known as ‘the Maledictus’ (which means someone carrying a ‘blood curse’)
and seems to be connected to Credence somehow. In this trailer, we seem them
strolling along looking shady, at any rate. Let’s also bear in mind that Credence
is seen looking at circus posters, and we already know that the Maledictus is
one of the circus’s big attractions.
It wouldn’t be a Fantastic Beasts movie
without some fantastic beasts – and a couple of new ones are introduced to us
here. First, we see some big cat-like animals with giant blue, fluorescent eyes
that don’t seem to fit a description from our Fantastic Beasts and Where to
Find Them textbooks. We
also see a giant inquisitive bird-like animal eyeing up Jacob, and a giant
hairy behemoth giving Newt, of all people, a fright. Any budding Magizoologists
out there know what these could be?
Another new, nifty bit of magic we
haven’t seen before: a disembodied gloved hand pointing at St Paul’s Cathedral.
We’re guessing it’s not recommending a bit of sight-seeing. When Newt grabs it,
it actually takes him to Dumbledore, like a Portkey or Apparating or somewhere
in between. We’ve got to hand it to Dumbledore – that’s some very cool magic.
Well, that is definitely not a pair of thick, woollen
socks. One stand-out scene in the trailer shows us Dumbledore looking into a
rather grand-looking mirror. On closer inspection, we see this simply must be
the Mirror of Erised - the enchanted mirror that Harry
discovers in his first year of Hogwarts. The Mirror famously shows the subject
what they desire most, and Dumbledore once told Harry that grown men had gone
mad trying to seek the enchanted glass’s contents.
When Harry asked an older Dumbledore what he saw in the
mirror in Philosopher’s Stone, the kindly headmaster claimed it was simply a
pair of socks. In Deathly Hallows, Harry realises Dumbledore must have seen his
late family, in the same way he did. However, in the mirror in this scene, it
is Dumbledore’s old friend Grindelwald that looms behind him.
When the first
trailer came out we panicked
due to the lack of Nifflers. Where are the Nifflers, we cried in despair.
Thankfully we are thrilled to report that Newt’s mischievous long-snouted,
gold-grabbing friend is back once again in this trailer – popping out of Newt’s
case, sniffing around Paris. We’re sure there’s lots of lovely, shiny Parisian
jewellery to be found, little friend.
Zoë Kravitz, portraying Leta Lestrange, finally speaks in
the new trailer – mournfully telling Newt ‘he never met a monster he couldn’t
love’. Hagrid, much? So, is Leta talking about herself or one of Newt’s
fantastic beasts here? Either way, as certified nosy parkers, we are very much
looking forward to finding out more about Leta and whether she is one of the
bad guys, the good guys, or somewhere in the middle…
And bearing that question in mind, we do
see Leta working alongside Tina and Newt in this action sequence together.
Despite the other Lestranges we know about, maybe Leta isn’t so bad after all?
We already know of Ezra Miller’s return to the franchise,
despite his ambiguous ending in the first Fantastic Beasts film. But not only
is Credence in this film – definitely not dead – he’s more powerful and
seething with rage. Or is that desperation? Credence is clearly learning to
harness his intense powers… as we’ve seen in the previous trailer he seems to
be able to control his Obscurus now. And although Credence seems to be in a bad
way, we are glad that the charismatic Ezra is back for more magical larks.
Newt, alongside his brother, Theseus,
face Grindelwald in a fiery showdown. Behind Grindelwald is a character we know
is called Vinda Rosier (we see her standing with him quite a few times,
actually...) holding a glowing, golden orb-like object. We’ll take a wild guess
that’s not some sort of premium version of a Remembrall...
We’ve seen the Deathly
Hallows symbol pop up quite a lot in Fantastic Beasts so far –
as a necklace, creeping up in film posters, the screenplay, etc. In the
trailer, we see embers of it dissipate in a puff of smoke. But why, exactly? We
certainly know of Grindelwald’s obsession with the Deathly Hallows, an
obsession he once shared with Dumbledore. And we definitely know that at least
one Deathly Hallow features in the film because…
Well, that settles that. The Elder Wand, one of the three
Deathly Hallows, is definitely in Grindelwald’s possession during the events of
this movie. There is simply no mistaking its recognisable berry-esque carvings
that we remember oh-so-well from the Harry Potter films.
As far as we know, the next person to take the wand was
Dumbledore after their famous 1945 duel. The
Crimes of Grindelwald is set in the 1920s so... blimey, does
that mean Grindelwald owns the wand for at least two decades? That doesn’t
sound like a fun two decades, if so.
Just when we think the trailer is over – we get a pretty
incredible surprise right after the end-titles – it’s only world-famous
alchemist Nicolas Flamel, creator of the Philosopher’s Stone! Flamel, played by Brontis
Jodorowsky, is rather understandably confused for a ghost by poor, perplexed
Jacob (imagine what it’ll be like when Jacob meets an actual ghost) and the
pair have a fabulously awkward, creaky handshake. Well, Nicolas is getting on a
bit…
‘The fate of one, the future of all.’
These enigmatic words are emblazoned across the trailer
throughout – and of course we’re now wondering who ‘the one’ is. Is it
Grindelwald, with his vision? Is it Newt? Is it Dumbledore? Is it the Niffler?!
Okay, maybe not him. But we’re not ruling anybody out here!
Hopefully, all of our questions will be answered upon the
release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of
Grindelwald, coming out 16 November.