by Aine Moriarty
!! Perhaps without saying, there will be spoilers here. !!
Everyone knows the story of Harry Potter: A young boy leaving his ordinary life behind to join the Wizarding World to learn magic. Although his journey ended in 2011, there have been multiple expansions and spinoffs, from de-fictionalized books and merchandise, to theme parks, and plays.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was one example of a spinoff movie, released November 18, 2016. Set in 1926, the film’s protagonist, Newt Scamander, arrives in America. He meets NoMaj Jacob Kowalski, former Auror Tina Goldstein, and Tina’s sister Queenie. Together, the movie ends with them MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) capturing Gellert Grindelwald.
Now Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is on the way! This time, Grindelwald has escaped custody and is building himself an army. His goal is to rule over all non-magical beings with pure-blood wizards. Albus Dumbledore enlists Scamander to help once again in Grindelwald’s recapture.
Though originally envisioned as a trilogy, there are currently five planned Fantastic Beasts films. As of now, David Yates has directed both movies; the same is true of J.K. Rowling, who is writing the scripts. James Newton Howard also reprises his role as music composer.
The cast has certainly grown between films. Of course, Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, and Johnny Depp return to play Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski, Queenie Goldstein, Credence Barebone, and Gellert Grindelwald, respectively. But quite a few new actors join in the fun, both as part of the main cast and minor characters.
The most prominent example would be Jude Law playing Dumbledore from his younger days. There’s also Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange; Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander, the main character’s brother; and Claudia Kim as…Nagini? Harry Potter fans should recognize that name as one of Voldemort’s horcruxes, a frighteningly powerful snake. What’s she doing as a human?
The answer to that, as well as many other questions, will be answered once the film releases.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set to be released on November 16th, this Friday. Warner Bros. predicts an opening range of $65M-$75M.