Many groaned over the revelation that the world of Harry Potter would be getting several movies. However, after the success of the first, fans are now clamoring to get another glimpse at this new magical world. And today, they got just that with the title reveal of the sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
The title suggests that the film will focus on Gellert Grindelwald, the villainous predecessor to Voldemort and revealed to be pulling the strings in the last film, disguised as a high-ranking Auror. If you look close enough, you can see he carries the super power Elder Wand, which is not good for our heroes. The story will also give us a glimpse at young Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law, who battles the wizard and eventually defeats him. We can see them on the right and left sides of the first image released by Warner Brothers.
We have the main cast from the last film – Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Katherine Waterson as Tina Goldstein, Alison Sudol as her sister Queenie, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, and Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone. That last inclusion is particularly interesting given that Credence, who has a dark force that plagues wizard children who repress their powers called an Obscurus, was nearly totally destroyed. We will also have to see how Jacob will remember his wizarding friends, and if the blooming romance between Newt and Tina lives on.
As for new additions to the cast, we see Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange, Newt’s former love interest who is now engaged to his brother, Theseus Scamander, played by Callum Turner. We also meet Claudia Kim as a Maledictus, a witch with a blood curse that destines her to be turned into a beast. How she will play into the larger narrative, and if she and equally cursed Credence can find a happy ending, is unknown.
Here is the official synopsis 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 will premiere in theaters on November 16, 2018.
