For Harry Potter fans, getting a new series of movies for Fantastic Beasts is a Potterhead's dream. But how are they all connected? I'll talk about some of the things you will see in the new Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and how they join what is now called the Wizarding World. J.K. Rowling continues to be such an amazing storyteller. Her ability to create stories that transport you to another world is uncanny. Fans are going to love Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Take a look at this new trailer to start our journey.
The Wizarding World is what J.K. Rowling is now calling everything under “umbrella” of the world she has created. The logo, which has wands that form an arch, are half Harry Potter wands, and half Fantastic Beast wands with the Elder Wand that ties them all together. Which leads me to my first item. Everything I mention in this list was shown in the trailers but please be warned to proceed at your own risk.
The Elder Wand
One of the Deathly Hallows, the Elder Wand, was stolen by Gellert Grindelwald and this is the wand that he uses for the Fantastic Beasts movies. There are a total of 5 movies set to be made so I am sure we will see how the wand becomes the property of Albus Dumbledore.
(L-R) JOHNNY DEPP as Grindelwald and POPPY CORBY-TUECH as Rosier in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adventure FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone
We got to see Nicholas Flamel in The Crimes of Grindelwald, which is exciting because his character is quite interesting given his age. I'm hoping that his story gets a deeper dive in future movies because I was left with some questions about his involvement and those that asked him to join the fight.
(L-R) DAN FOGLER as Jacob Kowalski and BRONTIS JODOROWSKY as Nicolas Flamel in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adventure FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Back to Hogwarts
Past and present looks at the Wizarding School.
(L-R) JUDE LAW as Albus Dumbledore and JOSHUA SHEA as Young Newt (13-16 Years Old) in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adventure FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD. Photo Credit: Jaap Buitendijk
Dumbledore
The Dumbledore family history is a rocky one. I love being able to see character development in beloved characters. Seeing Albus in various stages of his youth is great, and this movie gives us a deeper look into his life and family.
The Mirror of Erised
The inscription on this Mirror of Erised is written backward but it reads “I show not your face but your hearts desire.” We learned this in Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore uses it in The Crimes of Grindelwald to show the true relationship between Albus and Gellert. If you aren't a hardcore Potterhead, you may have missed that J.K. Rowling announced that Albus Dumbledore is gay. While Director David Yates said that he would not be “explicitly” shown in this capacity, the mirror will give fans a look into that relationship.
JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER as Young Grindelwald in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adventure FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Minerva McGonagall
Our favorite “strict but fair” teacher makes an appearance as a young teacher at Hogwarts.
Nagini
When the final trailer was released people couldn't believe that they were seeing the infamous snake and sidekick to Voldemort. Before all the terror, she was a human. According to Pottermore, Nagini is a ‘Maledictus', a blood curse that will soon transform her permanently to the snake form. This is probably one of my favorite tie-ins to the Harry Potter series because Nagini was such a scary part in the Harry Potter series and her character development in Fantastic Beasts is very different.
Claudia Kim as Nagini. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Unbreakable Vow
Those pesky unbreakable vows are the worst!
The LeStrange Family
While the Harry Potter movies don't place a lot of significance on the pureblood wizards and their family trees, the books do. There are a lot of familiar wizarding family names that you will recognize but one of the big ones in this movie is the LeStrange family. Leta LeStrange is played by the stunning Zoe Kravitz and I really love her tortured character story.
ZOË KRAVITZ as Leta Lestrange in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adventure FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD. Photo Credit: Jaap Buitendijk
More Magical Creatures
By far the main reason I LOVE the Fantastic Beasts franchise are all the magical creatures. Some familiar ones are the Thestrals, which are the skeletal winged horses that can only be seen by those who have witnessed death. They carry a carriage in The Crimes of Grindelwald. Other creatures you'll see from the Harry Potter world include Boggarts, Merpeople, Phoenixes, and of course a slew of new creatures.
A beast called a Zouwu. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is in theaters November 16th! Get your tickets now.
This past weekend I was the host at the Warner Bros. Pictures fan screening of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in Atlanta. It was really exciting to be around so many fans that love the Wizarding World as much as I do. People in the crowd dressed up for the event too.
Take a look at the video. Sorry, it's so dark, it's hard to film anything in such a dark room.
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