Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an absolute delight, and the sequel looks to recapture that same magic by bringing back the cast and crew of the first film, while doubling down on Harry Potter nostalgia (Dumbledore plays a significant role). One significant way in which the new Beasts is departing from its predecessor is that the action occurs overseas in Paris and the U.K., while the first film was set in America.
Johnny Depp will play the main antagonist, a controversial casting decision given the allegations against him for the physical and emotional abuse of his ex-wife Amber Heard, but he has thus far managed to weather the #MeToo storm. J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. have defended the choice to keep Depp in the role, and based on Hollywood’s track record of giving its biggest male stars a break for the occasional meltdown, some of the movie fans seem to be the forgiving type.
Check out the official synopsis below, and stick around to be enchanted by the trailer.
“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.”
Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller, the bigger breakout stars, will resume their roles in the franchise, acting again with their costars from the original film, Carmen Ejogo, Alison Sudol, and Dan Fogler. Zoë Kravitz, who made brief appearance in a moving photograph, will return for a longer run this time. Jessica Williams will also join the newer cast.
A staple of helming the Harry Potter films, David Yates will direct. The source material comes from a book written for charity by J.K. Rowling, who also penned the new screenplay, as well as its predecessor.
Watch the teaser trailer below:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald arrives in theaters on 11/16/18.
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