Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is an upcoming fantasy film directed by David Yates, with a screenplay by J. K. Rowling. A joint British and American production, it is the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). It is the second instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and the tenth overall in the Wizarding World franchise, which began with the Harry Potter film series. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp.

The film's plot follows Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore as they attempt to take down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, while facing new threats in a more divided wizarding world.

Principal photography for the film began at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in July 2017. Filming also took place in England, including London, Switzerland, and Paris. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will have its world premiere in Paris on 8 November 2018 and is scheduled to be released worldwide on 16 November 2018 in Real D 3D and IMAX 3D, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Premise
At the end of the first film, the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise wizards and witches up to rule over all non-magical beings.

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans, Albus Dumbledore 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.

Cast



 * Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander:
 * A British Ministry of Magic employee in the Beasts Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, as well as a self-proclaimed magizoologist. He played a part in remedying the events of a violent attack on the City of New York in December 1926 involving dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. He is a confidante of Albus Dumbledore, despite being an outcast from certain circles of British Wizarding society due to his checkered past. Joshua Shea portrays a young Newt.


 * Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein:
 * A promoted MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) Auror. She played a role in thwarting Gellert Grindelwald during the Obscurus incident of 1926, for which she and Newt were initially blamed.


 * Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski:
 * A No-Maj veteran of World War I and current business owner, a friend of Newt, and the primary love interest to Queenie before having his memory obliviated following Grindelwald's attack on New York.


 * Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein:
 * The pretty and vivacious younger sister of Tina, who worked alongside her in the Federal Wand Permit Bureau after Tina was once demoted. She is a powerful natural Legilimens, and has fallen in love with Jacob Kowalski, despite the wizarding world laws forbidding the relationship.


 * Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone:
 * The disturbed adopted child of Mary-Lou Barebone, violently abused and downtrodden. Enraged by people's treatment of him and Grindelwald's betrayal, he set his Obscurus parasite loose on the City of New York, causing widespread death and destruction. He was eventually "destroyed" by MACUSA officials, although a tiny Obscurus fragment escaped. Credence now has complete control over his Obscurus.


 * Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange:
 * A damaged and confused young woman who still exerts a large amount of control over Newt, who was at one time in love with her, and possibly still is. Risking the life of a student at school, she is responsible for the outcasting of Newt from some circles of British wizarding society, after he took the blame for her misdemeanor. She is from a historically wealthy and pureblood family famous for the Dark Arts and is currently engaged to Theseus Scamander, Newt's brother, and is now working at the British Ministry of Magic as the assistant to Torquil Travers, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.


 * Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander:
 * The older brother of Newt Scamander, who was involved in the Auror Office of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, fought in World War I, and is described as a "war hero". The two brothers share a tentatively warm relationship, slightly marred by the fact that the two can't quite understand each other. He spent the previous year hunting Grindelwald with a team of British Aurors. He is currently engaged to Leta Lestrange.


 * Claudia Kim as Nagini:
 * The main attraction of a wizarding circus and freak show called Circus Arcanus and a Maledictus, who carries a blood curse that will sooner or later transform her into a snake permanently. For as long as she can remember, her transformative powers have been exploited by Skender. Nagini eventually finds a friend in one of the menial workers there, Credence. She will eventually become the infamous companion of Lord Voldemort.


 * William Nadylam as Yusuf Kama: A French-African wizard who has spent many years obsessively searching for Credence and has finally tracked him down in Paris at Circus Arcanus.
 * Kevin Guthrie as Abernathy: Tina and Queenie's previous MACUSA supervisor.
 * Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore:
 * An extremely influential and powerful wizard in the British Wizarding Community, known in the British Ministry of Magic and throughout the wider wizarding world for his academic excellence, currently a professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had a summer-long, mysterious relationship with Grindelwald, which ended on a tragic note. A strong ally of Newt Scamander's, he is called to resist Grindelwald's reign of terror. Toby Regbo reprises his role from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as young Dumbledore.


 * Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald:
 * An infamous powerful dark wizard who caused mass violence, terror and chaos around the globe, seeking to lead a new Wizarding Order, with a strong belief in wizarding superiority. He shared a summer-long, deep, and mysterious relationship with Albus Dumbledore as a teenager, until tragedy struck. He wreaked havoc across Europe before being captured by MACUSA in New York. It was Depp's idea for the character's heterochromia, saying that he saw Grindelwald as "more than one... almost as though he was two people." Jamie Campbell Bower reprises his role from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as young Grindelwald.

Carmen Ejogo reprises her role as Seraphina Picquery, the President of MACUSA, from the first film. Poppy Corby-Tuech portrays Vinda Rosier, Grindelwald's loyal right-hand follower. Brontis Jodorowsky portrays Nicolas Flamel, a 14th-century, 600-year-old Parisian scribe and alchemist believed to have discovered the Philosopher's Stone, a friend and colleague of Dumbledore; he was mentioned previously in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Ólafur Darri Ólafsson portrays Skender, the cruel head and ringmaster of Circus Arcanus. Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson portrays Grimmson, a powerful bounty hunter. David Sakurai appears as Krall, Grindelwald's ambitious and sulky henchman. Isaura Barbé-Brown portrays Laurena Kama, Leta Lestrange's mother. Victoria Yeates portrays Bunty, Newt Scamander's assistant. Jessica Williams portrays Eulalie "Lally" Hicks, a professor of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Derek Riddell, Wolf Roth and Cornell John portray Torquil Travers, Rudolph Spielman and Arnold Guzman, respectively, while Fiona Glascott has been cast as an unspecified character.

Development
In October 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures announced the film as "at least" a trilogy with the first instalment set to be released on 18 November 2016 followed by the second instalment on 16 November 2018 and the third instalment on 20 November 2020. David Yates was confirmed to direct at least the first instalment of the series.

In July 2016, Yates confirmed that J. K. Rowling had written the screenplay for the second film and had ideas for the third. Yates talked to Entertainment Weekly about the second film, saying "we've seen the script for Part 2, for the second movie, which takes the story in a whole new direction – as you should, you don’t want to repeat yourself. The second movie introduces new characters as she builds this part of the Harry Potter universe further. It's a very interesting development from where we start out. The work is pouring out of her." In October 2016, it was reported that the Fantastic Beasts film series would comprise five films, with the second film setting in another global capital city, and Eddie Redmayne would be returning to all films to play the lead role of Newt Scamander. Yates would also return to direct the sequel with producers Rowling, David Heyman, Steve Kloves, and Lionel Wigram.

Pre-production
On 1 November 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported that Johnny Depp had been cast in the film. Depp's casting received criticism by some fans, based on his previous involvement in domestic violence allegations. J. K. Rowling posted on her website that she would not reconsider recasting because Depp and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, had previously expressed hope that the mutual agreement would enable both to move on from the controversy and that "the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies." About Rowling's response, Depp later said, "I'll be honest with you, I felt bad for J.K. having to field all these various feelings from people out there. I felt bad that she had to take that. But ultimately, there is real controversy. The fact remains I was falsely accused... J.K. has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused, and that's why she has publicly supported me. She doesn't take things lightly. She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth. So that's really it."

Jude Law was cast as Albus Dumbledore after director David Yates decided that the role should be played by a younger actor, not Michael Gambon (who played the role in six of the Harry Potter films). A number of other actors were considered, including Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, and Jared Harris (son of Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films).

Filming
The film is set in the United Kingdom and Paris. Principal photography began on 3 July 2017, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden. On 22 September 2017, David Sakurai was cast to play Krall, one of the ambitious and sulky henchman of Grindelwald. Law reportedly finished filming his scenes as Dumbledore in September 2017. On 5 October 2017, several other castings were announced, including Brontis Jodorowsky as Nicolas Flamel and Jessica Williams joining in an undisclosed role. Principal photography wrapped on 20 December 2017.

Music
James Newton Howard confirmed in November 2016 that he would return to compose the music for the film.

Release
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will have its world premiere at the UGC Ciné Cité Bercy in Paris on 8 November 2018 and is scheduled to be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures on 16 November 2018. The film will get an IMAX, IMAX 3D and 2D release.

Marketing
It was announced that the film's screenplay would be released in the form of a book on 16 November 2018.

The first teaser trailer was released on 13 March 2018, along with the first poster. The first official trailer was released on 21 July 2018 at San Diego Comic-Con. The final trailer was released on 25 September 2018.

Sequels
Initially, in October 2014, the studio announced there would be a Fantastic Beasts trilogy. In July 2016, David Yates confirmed that Rowling had written the screenplay for the second film and had ideas for the third. The third film is set to be released on 20 November 2020. In October 2016, Rowling stated that the series would comprise of five films.