Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald or just The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second instalment of the series of films based on, one of the companion books to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a direct sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and is the tenth film set in the wizarding world. The film is directed by David Yates, with a screenplay by J. K. Rowling. Returning stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Carmen Ejogo, Kevin Guthrie, and Johnny Depp, with Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, and Jude Law joining the cast.

The plot follows Newton Scamander and Albus Dumbledore as they attempt to take down Gellert Grindelwald, while facing new threats in a more divided wizarding world. The story will take place in New York, London, and Paris starting around 19 March, 1927. Filming began on 3 July 2017. It will be released on 16 November 2018, the same day the screenplay will be published.

Synopsis
''Grindelwald has made a dramatic escape from MACUSA custody. The villainous Grindelwald has been busy gathering more followers to his cause – elevating wizards above all non-magical beings. The only one who might be able to stop him is the wizard he once called his dearest friend, Albus Dumbledore. But Dumbledore will need help from the wizard who had thwarted Grindelwald once before, his former student Newt Scamander. Newt will again be joined by Queenie and Tina Goldstein in the next film, as well as his No-Maj friend, Jacob Kowalski. However, the mission against Grindelwald will ‘test their loyalties’ as the wizarding world becomes more divided and dangerous.''

Cast

 * Eddie Redmayne as Newton "Newt" Scamander
 * Joshua Shea as Young Newt Scamander
 * Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
 * Toby Regbo as Younger Albus Dumbledore
 * Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald
 * Jamie Campbell Bower as Younger Gellert Grindelwald
 * Katherine Waterston as Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein
 * Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
 * Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
 * Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone
 * Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange
 * Thea Lamb as Young Leta Lestrange
 * Ruby Woolfenden as Young Leta Lestrange (3-6 years old)
 * Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander
 * Claudia Kim as Nagini
 * William Nadylam as Yusuf Kama
 * Isaac Domingos as Young Yusuf Kama
 * Kevin Guthrie as Abernathy
 * Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery
 * Poppy Corby-Tuech as Vinda Rosier
 * Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Skender
 * Unknown as Sebastian
 * Brontis Jodorowsky as Nicolas Flamel
 * Andrew Turner as MacDuff
 * Maja Bloom as Carrow
 * Claudius Peters as Nagel
 * Simon Meacock as Krafft
 * Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Grimmson
 * David Sakurai as Krall
 * Derek Riddell as Torquil Travers
 * Wolf Roth as Spielman
 * Victoria Yeates as Bunty
 * Olwen Fouéré as Melusine
 * Cornell John as Arnold Guzman
 * Jessica Williams as Eulalie Hicks
 * Fiona Glascott as Minerva McGonagall
 * David Wilmot as Portkey Tout
 * Deepak Anand as Unnamed wizard
 * Liv Hansen as Ministry of Magic Witch
 * Alexandra Ford as Acolyte
 * Johanna Thea as Ministry of Magic Witch
 * Jag Patel as Senior Wizard
 * Adam Ewan as Yarwood
 * Israel Ruiz as Ministry of Magic Wizard
 * Aykut Hilmi as Shafiq
 * Joakim Skarli as Ministry of Magic Wizard
 * Jan Freygang as Unnamed wizard
 * Linda Santiago as Credence's Aunt
 * Nicki Vickery as Senior Wizard
 * Simon Wan as Chang
 * Adrian Mozzi as Unnamed wizard
 * Alfrun Rose as Red Haired Young Witch
 * Christopher Birks as Young Auror
 * Bart Soroczynski as Stebbins
 * Phil Hodges as Prisoner 001
 * Hugh Quarshie as Mustafa Kama
 * Isaura Barbé-Brown as Laurena Kama
 * Keith Chanter as Corvus Lestrange
 * Jemima Woolnough as Gryffindor Girl #1
 * Hollie Burgess as Gryffindor Girl #2
 * Daniele Hugues as Irma Dugard
 * Olivia Popica as Receptionist
 * Ed Gaughan as French Policeman
 * Alfie Mailley as Child in Bubble
 * Alfie Simmons as McClaggan
 * Isaac Cortinovis Johnson as McClaggan’s Friend

Development
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was announced in October 2014 by Warner Bros. At the time, the film was unnamed and the second part of planned trilogy of films based on. It was scheduled for release on 16 November, 2018, two years after the release of the first film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

In July 2016, David Yates, director of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, revealed that J. K. Rowling had written the screenplay for the second film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Yates said "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, the proposed trilogy of Fantastic Beasts films was expanded to five films, including the news that Eddie Redmayne would return in all of the films as lead character Newton Scamander. Yates was also contracted to direct the sequel, with Rowling, David Heyman, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram serving as producers. Yates later revealed that he was onboard to direct all the films in the Fantastic Beasts series.

Pre-production
After cameoing as Leta Lestrange in the first film, Zoë Kravitz will return for the sequel with a larger role. It was revealed on 1 November, 2016, that Johnny Depp had been cast in the film in an unspecified role that was later revealed to be Gellert Grindelwald. Depp's casting in the film caused some fans to criticise his involvement due to previous allegations of domestic violence. J. K. Rowling commented on the issue, stating 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." She did not consider recasting the role since Depp and with his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, hoped that the settlement of their dispute would enable both of them to continue working and move on from the controversy.

David Yates revealed that Albus Dumbledore would be a character in the film. However, Michael Gambon would not be returning to the role, and a younger actor would play the character instead. In the same interview, he stated the film would be set in the United Kingdom and Paris. Several actors were considered from the role of the younger Dumbledore, including Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Mark Strong. Jarred Harris, son of Richard Harris who played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films was also in the running. Eventually, Jude Law was announced to be playing Dumbledore in April 2017.

Ezra Miller was reported as preparing to film for the sequel, confirming his return as Credence Barebone. Callum Turner was added to the cast in the role as Newton Scamander's older brother, Theseus Scamander. At the start of principal photography on 3 July, 2017, additional cast members were announced, including Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Kevin Guthrie. A plot synopsis was also released.

Filming
Filming began on 3 July 2017 at Leavesden Studios. On 22 September 2017, David Sakurai was cast to play Krall, one of the ambitious and sulky henchman of Grindelwald. Jude Law was reported to have finished his participation in the film by September 2017. On 5 October 2017, several other additions to the cast were announced, including Brontis Jodorowsky as Nicolas Flamel and Jessica Williams in an undisclosed role. Filming wrapped on 20 December 2017.

Music
In an interview with Forbes in November 2016, James Newton Howard confirmed he was returning to score the film.

Release
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. on 16 November 2018. The film will be released in IMAX, IMAX 3D and 2D formats.

Marketing
The screenplay for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will be released in book form on the same day the film is released, 16 November 2018.

Reception
The film has so far generated a generally mixed response from film critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as of November 14, 2018, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10, while reception is lower from those the site considers "top critics," giving the film an average of 35% with 17 reviews and an average of 5.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has glimmers of the magic familiar to Harry Potter fans, but the story's spell isn't as strong as earlier installments". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". It is the lowest-rated Wizarding World film on both websites.

Andrew Barker of Variety called the film a "cluttered expansion of the Harry Potter franchise" and wrote, "The film throws plenty of plot twists, loud noises, and multi-hued magical nebulae at us, but rarely is there much tension, or sense of adventure, or any real longing, just the feeling of watching one chess piece after another being moved into position." Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave the film 3/5 stars, praising Law and Depp's performances, but criticising the film's excessive plotting, and saying, "This Fantastic Beasts film is as watchable and entertaining as expected... but some of the wonder, novelty and sheer narrative rush of the first film has been mislaid in favour of a more diffuse plot focus, spread out among a bigger ensemble cast."

Behind the scenes

 * The film will feature several characters first mentioned in the Harry Potter series, such as Albus Dumbledore, and Gellert Grindelwald. It will also mark the first time that Nicolas Flamel is shown in a movie, after being named on several occasions in the Philosopher's Stone film, exciting many fans of the Wizarding World franchise.
 * Stuart Craig originally said that Fantastic Beasts 2 would take place in Paris, 1926. J. K. Rowling corrected this on Twitter after it was reported by Snitchseeker.
 * On 22 August 2017 it was reported that Hogwarts might appear in the movie, as filming took place at Lacock Abbey, a location used on the Harry Potter movies. Promotional images have since shown Albus Dumbledore in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom set.
 * The Hogwarts robes appear to have undergone a slight redesign in this film compared to the original film series, possibly reflecting the different time frame that the series is set in.

Gallery

 * Posters and other promotional materials

Notes and references
de2:Phantastische Tierwesen: Grindelwalds Verbrechen (Film) es:Animales fantásticos: Los crímenes de Grindelwald fr:Les Animaux fantastiques : Les Crimes de Grindelwald pl:Fantastyczne zwierzęta: Zbrodnie Grindelwalda Фантастические твари 2 ファンタスティック・ビースト2 pt-br:Animais Fantásticos: Os Crimes de Grindelwald