Top 5 Fantastic Beasts 2 The Crimes of Grindelwald Facts You Need to Know

You’ll remember when Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski had his memory Obliviated last time out, but the benevolent baker’s bagged another key role, alongside Alison Sudol as Queenie. Obviously Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander returns (now a published author), while Johnny Depp’s Gellert Grindelwald gets the title treatment, and Ezra Miller’s Credence Barebone also reappears despite apparently exploding at the end of the first film. Jude Law leads a crop of new characters – the English actor plays a young Albus Dumbledore – while Zoe Kravitz brings Leta Lestrange to life, and Callum Turner stars as Theseus, Newt’s older brother. However, early rumours have almost entirely overlooked the actual ‘fantastic beasts’, with next-to-no-news of new creatures.

While relocating the Wizarding World to America proved a major selling point for the first “Fantastic Beasts” film, the action heads back across the Atlantic for the follow-up, with Newt and co. primed for Paris. The Circus Arcanus is tipped to play a major part in “The Crimes of Grindelwald”, as Newt follows the self-styled ‘freakshow’ to France. But that’s not all Paris has to offer. The alchemist Nicolas Flamel is also based in the French capital, and is set to feature in “Beasts 2” as the film explores the friendship between him and Dumbledore – which was first mentioned way back in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”.

We’re all pretty up to speed on the Unforgivable Curses, right? But there’s more to the Dark Arts than just the big three. Claudia Kim is set to star as one of the more mysterious characters in the film, an unnamed Maledictus witch. A Male-what-now? It’s the first time the term has appeared in the Wizarding World franchise, and it’s applied to anyone under the influence of an ominous blood curse which eventually forces them to transfigure into a ‘beast’. Early theories have Kim’s character as a ‘Snake Girl’ performer in the travelling circus, prompting potential links to Voldermort’s Nagini. Either way, the curse is sure to prove pivotal.

Sure, the rise of one of history’s most dangerous wizards probably sits top of Newt Scamander’s priorities, but the famed magizoologist appears to have closer-to-home problems to tackle too. Early casting photos for “The Crimes of Grindelwald” gave us our first glimpse of Zoe Kravitz as Leta Lestrange – the witch whose photo Newt carries around with him. But she’s shown arm in arm with Newt’s brother, Theseus. A figurative kick in the snitch if ever we’ve seen one, the first “Beasts” sequel is sure to develop the relationship between all three. Of course, Tina’s got a soft spot for Newt too, so things could get quite complicated.

While Johnny Depp’s recasting as Grindelwald has proven quite controversial, the actor’s character has fuelled serious speculation already. First off, although MACUSA captured Grindelwald at the end of film one, the official sequel synopsis reveals that he has already ‘escaped’, and is ‘gathering followers’ – that didn’t take long. Then there’s his relationship with Dumbledore, a seemingly crucial story arc from this point forward: The one-time friends are likely all-out enemies already, if the steely look in Jude Law’s eye is anything to go by. Finally, what’s that in Grindelwald’s hand? He’s only got the Elder Wand – almost a century before Harry snaps it in two. A wand which promises absolute power, the infamous wizard’s reign of terror starts here.