Top 10 Things to Remember Before Seeing The Crimes of Grindelwald
For this list, we're looking at the most interesting and exciting facts to have emerged about the forthcoming second film in JK Rowling's “Fantastic Beasts” series.
Special thanks to our user WordToTheWes for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.comsuggest
#10: It’s Back to Hogwarts
The first “Fantastic Beasts” film introduced Potterheads to new parts of Rowling’s fictional world, but the sequel offers a welcome return to everyone’s favourite wizarding school. As well as the Great Hall, the trailers show us Albus Dumbledore as we’ve never seen him before - a teacher at Hogwarts rather than its headmaster. We also get a flashback to Newt’s days as a student, so hopefully the film will provide more insight into why he was expelled. Plus, the new time period has allowed designers to give the costumes a medieval tweak, with changes to the trim and hood colours. Swish!
#9: Jacob’s Back
At the end of the first film, Dan Fogler’s lovable No-Maj Jacob Kowalski had the memory of his adventures erased, but there were hints that the process might not have been entirely effective. Now, Jacob is set to be reunited with Newt, and it looks like the New York baker is in for a rough ride. In addition to meeting more of Newt’s friends, Jacob will have a variety of magical encounters (some good, some not so good) including his first experience travelling via Portkey. It’s all good fun for us. Maybe not so much for Jacob himself!
#8: Love is in the Air
In film one, Newt carried around a photograph of Leta Lestrange. For the follow-up, we’re set to meet her in the flesh. Eddie Redmayne has revealed the pair had a “special bond” as Hogwarts students, but now Leta is engaged to Newt’s brother, Theseus. Surely that won’t make things awkward, will it? Add to that Newt’s budding relationship with Tina, and the infatuation of his new assistant, Bunty, and things could be about to get spicy. Director David Yates even called “The Crimes of Grindelwald” the most “sensual” of Rowling’s films to date.
#7: There are Baby Nifflers
First introduced in “The Goblet of Fire”, Nifflers are mischievous creatures with a magpie-like attraction to shiny objects. Newt helped us all to understand just how troublesome these “pilfering pests” could be in the first film, when his escaped from his suitcase. But, the sequel is upping the ante. Redmayne is reportedly smitten with baby Nifflers, saying his favourite scene to shoot featured the young creatures. In part, this was due to the fact that his daughter was 15 months old at the time, and the Nifflers apparently reminded the actor of his child.
#6: The Nagini Plot Twist
Potterheads have long believed that Nagini – Voldemort’s companion and Horcrux – is more than just an ordinary snake. And the trailers of “The Crimes of Grindelwald” have confirmed it, showing she was once a woman subject to a Maledictus curse that turned her into an animal. The casting choice (and wider implications of this reveal) have stirred up a fair bit of controversy, but we remain curious to see where JK Rowling and David Yates take the character. Posters reveal that Nagini is “aiding a fugitive”, and this renegade appears to be none other than Credence Barebone – who somehow survived the magical explosion at the end of the first “Fantastic Beasts” film.
#5: Nicolas Flamel
Remember him? Fans will obviously recall Flamel as the alchemist referred to in the very first Harry Potter book. Inspired by the 14th-century scholar, Flamel is the only real-life person ever to feature in JK Rowling’s wizarding series. And so… In “The Crimes of Grindelwald”, Dumbledore tells Newt about a Parisian safe house, and there is speculation that this very place might be the home of Flamel. He and Dumbledore are friends, after all. That isn’t so bad when you consider the real Flamel would have been around 600 years old at this time.
#4: First Stop: Paris
A cryptic tweet by JK Rowling once suggested that each “Fantastic Beasts” film will be set in a different country. And “The Crimes of Grindelwald” supports that notion as it is going to take us to France, with Paris featuring heavily in the film’s trailers, from the Eiffel Tower to the Circus Arcanus. It seems that French wizarding life may not be so different from that in the UK, though… with insiders reporting that Paris has its own version of Diagon Alley, which is accessed through the base of a statue.
#3: Dumbledore vs Grindelwald
Potterheads know that these two magical heavyweights are destined to duel in the “Fantastic Beasts” series. Whilst that showdown is unlikely to take place in film two, we can still expect to see the men’s relationship explored – and it is certainly a complex one considering the wizards share a romantic past. Jude Law has revealed that Grindelwald sits at the centre of Dumbeldore’s “desires”, as shown when Hogwarts’ future headmaster looks into the Mirror of Erised. So how much will their relationship feature in the film? Only time will tell.
#2: New Magic and New Creatures
In addition to the Maledictus blood curse, “The Crimes of Grindelwald” promises to introduce us to many new magical spells and phenomena – from what appears to be a floating, teleporting glove to this novel way of walking through walls. Of course, in keeping with the title of the series, there will be new creatures to accompany old favourites like the Nifflers and the Bowtruckle. Newt will have to deal with the Chinese Zouwu, along with Rowling’s own favourite – the shapeshifting Kelpie, of which the Loch Ness Monster is reportedly an example. Good luck with that!
#1: The Sibling Rivalry
Finally, let’s not forget another new character in “The Crimes of Grindelwald” – Newt’s brother, Theseus. He’s a former war hero, and the current Head of the Auror Office… But, whilst the two siblings are set to fight together against Gellert Grindelwald, brotherly love is seemingly in short supply. The love triangle with Leta Lestrange is an obvious source of friction, and the two brothers have apparently followed very different paths in life. Judging by the way Newt reacts when Tina ties up Theseus, we get the impression that their dynamic throughout the film will continue to be a complicated one.