NOW in Philippine theaters everywhere, Warner Bros. Pictures’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second of five all new adventures in the Wizarding World created by J.K. Rowling.
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 Newt, his former student, 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 features an ensemble cast led by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Poppy Corby-Tuech and Brontis Jodorowsky, with two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law and three-time Oscar nominee Johnny Depp.
The film reunites director David Yates, screenwriter/producer J.K. Rowling, and producers David Heyman, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram, all of whom had collaborated on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Two years ago, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them transported audiences back to the wizarding world that has captured their hearts and ignited their imaginations. Set in America in the mid-1920s, the film enticed fans with just a few fleeting allusions to the Harry Potter stories: a brief mention that Magizoologist Newt Scamander was kicked out of Hogwarts; that his only defender had been a certain Professor Albus Dumbledore; and the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, after wreaking havoc in Europe, had vanished.
As the story continues in the second adventure, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, those threads become even more intertwined.
Screenwriter and producer J.K. Rowling offers, “Within the Fantastic Beasts franchise, I am telling a story that is only hinted at in the Harry Potter books—the rise of Grindelwald, who profoundly threatened both the wizarding and non-wizarding worlds, and his antagonist, Dumbledore, who, of course, is a key figure in the Potter stories. Grindelwald is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, so he was there from the beginning, though he was more of a mysterious background character. You know he must have been important to figure so prominently in Dumbledore’s own history, but it is only when you reach the end of the Potter series that you find out just how important he was…and you might also intuit that there must be much more to tell. I think this was the story I was most interested in revisiting because it’s so crucial to understanding Dumbledore, who is my favorite character,” she acknowledges.
At the helm of his sixth Wizarding World adventure, director David Yates recalls, “When Jo [Rowling] sent me the new script, my first impression was how different it felt to the first film we had made. This story is more layered and more intricate, with new character strands developing, and it’s also a lot darker. But what really blew me away was how she created this feeling of an emotional thriller, with twists and turns I never saw coming. Jo is constantly evolving the universe she’s built and, for me as a filmmaker, that makes coming back inspiring and always challenging.”
Much has transpired since Magizoologist Newt Scamander departed New York for London, leaving a hopeful Tina Goldstein on the dock, and since Queenie Goldstein entered the bustling bakery owned by No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, who—despite having his memories obliviated—seems to show a somewhat bemused spark of recognition. In the months that have passed, Newt completed his book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which has become a bestseller. Queenie and Jacob have begun a furtive romance in violation of the American wizarding world laws forbidding it. And their relationship has caused a rift between Queenie and her sister, Tina, who, having been reinstated to Macusa’s Auror ranks, is responsible for enforcing those laws.
Reprising the role of Newt, Eddie Redmayne notes, “For the first movie, J.K. Rowling created four unique characters, all of whom were outsiders and struggling in their own way. It is only through the connections they develop with each other—through that symbiosis—that they thrive and find happiness and even love. But in the interim, through miscommunication and circumstance, things have shifted.” Rejoining Redmayne as the original quartet are Katherine Waterston as Tina, Dan Fogler as Jacob and Alison Sudol as Queenie. Waterston comments, “When we met these characters, they were all struggling to come into their own, but hadn’t quite gotten there yet. I found it was very compelling to explore how the important relationships in our lives push us, enlighten us and help us grow. And J.K. Rowling has brilliantly weaved that idea—of the power of friendship—throughout this continuing, ever-expanding story.”
For all the actors, one of the most exciting aspects of coming back for the second film was that “the roots of this story are embedded in the Potter lore we all know and love,” says Redmayne. “The histories that were only touched on before are being torn open and explored. And the stakes are that much higher.”
The links to Potter are immediately evident as, near the start of the film, Newt is mysteriously summoned by his former professor, now mentor and friend, Albus Dumbledore. Taking on the role of the beloved character, Jude Law is quick to clarify, “This is the Dumbledore who is not yet the great Headmaster at Hogwarts. He is closer to the formative, and more traumatic, experiences in his life that perhaps color him. What was especially interesting for me—and for us as a team—was to try and layer in foundation points that keep him closely related to the Dumbledore we know, but with room to grow and learn and to make mistakes. And the stories we’re telling will show the evolution of the character.”
Wizarding World aficionados know there is one figure from Dumbledore’s past who is inexorably tied to his evolution: Gellert Grindelwald.
Arrested by Macusa at the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Grindelwald proves his powers are not to be underestimated—escaping in dramatic, and lethal, fashion. Once free, Heyman relates, “he begins to engineer events to further his cause: that wizards no longer have to live in secret, and that they should emerge from the shadows and be the dominating force in the world. He truly believes wizards are superior and should act accordingly. And he is very persuasive.”
Yates says Grindelwald is a very different type of villain from the evil Lord Voldemort. “If you disagreed with Voldemort, he would kill you in an instant. But Grindelwald is incredibly beguiling. He would rather win people over to his side than annihilate them, and he is smart enough to understand you have to win hearts and minds, not coerce people, to gain their allegiance. So, whereas Voldemort was something of a thug, Grindelwald is a much more sophisticated player…and all the more dangerous for it.”
Johnny Depp, who returns as Grindelwald, adds, “There is a rhythm to the way Grindelwald speaks, a cadence, that draws you in. Ultimately, what I felt about the character in terms of his presence is that it would be an exercise in stillness. I mean, his words are important, but what’s even more important with Grindelwald is the subtext of those words. It is the dialogue that’s silent—the meaning between the lines. It’s almost hypnotic.”
Grindelwald’s ability to enthrall the masses leads to what Yates defines as a pivotal theme of the story. “These are circumstances when some characters will ultimately have to decide what they believe in. Will they choose a side or stand passively by and watch the world consumed in flame? That resonates throughout this film.”
Broadening our view of the wizarding world, the film takes us to Paris, which was created on the backlot at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England. Rowling notes, “One of the great joys of the Fantastic Beasts series is how free I am to take the story to different countries and explore other aspects of the magical world. I sometimes look back and think, ‘My goodness, seven books, eight movies, all set largely in a school. How did we do that?’” she laughs.
That school, of course, is Hogwarts and fans have already expressed their excitement at seeing again the iconic silhouette of the castle. Yates attests, “It doesn’t matter where you are in the world…when the camera flies over those mountains and you suddenly see that school at the end of the lake, you can feel the ripple of anticipation in the theater. So it’s a pleasure to be able to take the audience back and experience again the magic of Hogwarts.”
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