Last year’s dive into the magical world of Harry Potter was every fans dream come true! Next year we’ll be getting the next installment: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald!
First things first: OH MY GOSSSSSH!!! LOOK AT THAT TITLE ART!
It keeps up the first film’s take on “Fantastic Beasts”, but “The Crimes of Grindelwald” has its own flourishes. If you look at the ‘I’ in ‘Crimes’, then the ‘G’ and ‘A’ in ‘Grindelwald,’ you’ll notice something very interesting.
Each of these three letters seem to represent a piece of the Deathly Hallows, something Grindelwald (and younger Dumbledore) were obsessed with finding. The ‘I’ is the wand, the ‘G’ the cloak of invisibility, and the ‘A’ is the Resurrection Stone.
This leads me to believe that the battle will build with this installment and members of Dumbledore’s first army will be looking for these pieces before Grindelwald and his army can find them.
Here is the official summary of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald:
At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (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 (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.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is being directed by David Yates, from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling, and produced by David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. {Via Warner Bros}
Things will definitely be getting intense in this film. I can’t help but hope that we get to see the rocky relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. I want to know if any romantic feelings still linger and if that’s why it took Dumbledore so long to step in and challenge Grindelwald himself.
Their relationship ended tragically with the death of of Dumbledore’s little sister Ariana when Grindelwald dueled Dumbledore and his brother Aberforth.
If you take a look at the image below, you can see that Dumbledore and Grindelwald frame the cast of characters between them. Eventually, they’ll have to face each other again, so maybe they’ll be placed closer together in upcoming film posters.
After all, it’s Dumbledore that stops Grindelwald. Newt and the others are just a way to stop him without Dumbledore truly having to step in.
Also, we need to discuss this drama about Leta Lestrange (obviously related to Bellatrix, which means she’s also related to Sirius Black and Draco Malfoy, but that’s another conversation) and her fiancé, NEWT’S BROTHER!
How does your own brother do that to you? Or was this an unrequited crush and Newt never told her? OR is Leta Lestrange just as conniving as the rest of her family and went after the brother that had better status?
I’m waiting on that, too.
Oh, and Credence isn’t dead! But his new friend, only known as ‘Maledictus’, has a blood curse which changes her into a beast. I bet Credence remembers how awesome Newt is and tries to get her help from our favorite magizoologist.
Other characters due back are our favorites, Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein (Newt’s future wife) and her sister, Queenie, and the President of MACUSA, Seraphina Picquery.
New faces include: Jessica Williams, her character is unknown, but YESSSS! We know that she’s a huge fan of J.K. Rowling and couldn’t help but be happy for her. We’ll also be seeing Nicolas Flamel in this installment, and as Potterheads know, he’s the inventor of the Philosopher’s Stone!
All my flails aside, I do have some serious feelings about Grindelwald’s portrayer, Johnny Depp. This is a story that I’ve been so insanely excited to see play out since I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
His presence takes away from that excitement. I say this as someone who adored Depp and would proudly call him my first real celebrity crush. However, recent years have tarnished that view, and his alleged history of domestic violence can’t be ignored.
I’m truly saddened that in such a magical world they couldn’t pretend that Depp was just another polyjuiced or magically altered version of the true Grindelwald.
What are your thoughts on the upcoming installment?
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters November 16, 2018!
