A first look at ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’

Warner Bros (WB) has recently announced the title for the second instalment of its projected five-part “Fantastic Beasts” series in the Potterverse titled: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” on November 16. The 20 second teaser video published on WB’s social media platforms and Youtube sets the film to be released exactly a year from its teaser, on November 16, 2018. According to Pottermore, the succeeding film will be set after the events that unfolded in the 2016 feature, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” in which Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander visits New York city and unwittingly disrupts the plans of a dark wizard named Gellert Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp, guised as Percival Graves, played by Colin Farrell, a high-ranking Auror at Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA). Although Lord Voldemort was the primary antagonist in the Potter series, Grindelwald was, in many ways, his predecessor. He was first introduced in the first Harry Potter book and film series, referencing to have been defeated by Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in 1945. Grindelwald was a dark wizard bent on wizarding domination for the sake of the greater good. To have been obsessed with power, especially the Deathly Hallows, he travelled across Europe, gathered followers and tracked down the Elder Wand - one of the Deathly Hallows. In 1945, Dumbledore fought and defeated him, imprisoning Grindelwald in Nurmengard, a wizard prison he established. He later died at the hands of Voldemort, who was searching for the Elder Wand to aid his own rise to power. “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” takes place in New York, Paris and London, where audience will see love and loyalties tested in the tumultuous times in the wizarding world. While Eddie Redmayne and Johnny Depp, among others will reprise their roles respectively, the teaser reveals Jude Law reimagining a younger Albus Dumbledore with suave. David Yates returns to direct the second part of the “Fantastic Beasts” series.