The Wizarding World of J.K. Rowling just keeps on growing, for better or for worse.
San Diego Comic-Con was treated to a new trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald on Saturday. The next installment in the Harry Potter spinoff/prequel series follow the 2016 debut Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and will once again be written by Rowling and directed by David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows). The trailer followed the cast presser in Hall H., the first of the Warner Bros. lineup on display at the con.
Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander, the magic and creature enthusiast last seen collecting monsters on the loose in New York City like a hipster playing Pokemon Go. This time around, he’s tasked by Professor Albus Dumbledore (new cast member Jude Law) to track down the notorious dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) as he plans to raise a generation of pure-blood wizards up against the magical establishment. Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogel, Alison Sudol and Ezra Miller also reprise their roles along with new cast members Claudia Kim (Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Callum Turner (Green Room).
While the first Fantastic Beasts was a quirky adventure with peacoats and winged dragons, The Crimes of Grindelwald seems much darker and more action-packed. The trailer contains what seems to be a magical prison break, a chase involving winged horses pulling a carriage and wands directing explosions. It seems as if the character drama of the movie will be precocious Newt finally faces true danger in his life. Plus the potential of seeing a younger Dumbledore (or just seeing Jude Law in a blockbuster again) will certainly put fans in the seats.
But of course, we can’t talk about Fantastic Beasts without talking about….*sigh* Johnny Depp. Sporting a white faux hawk that would make even Chris Jericho snicker, Depp’s presence in this franchise is a constant blemish. With his embarrassing financial woes and horrifying abuse allegations against him, there’s no getting around the fact that Depp should not be given major billing on such a prominent and popular film series. Fantastic Beasts doesn’t have all that much going for it and Depp being the villain just makes it all the more troublesome, especially considering the woman he allegedly assaulted is working for the same production company (and will be promoting a film at Comic-Con later on).
Regardless, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald whisks its way into theaters on November 16. What do you think of the new trailer? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to keep with The Young Folks for the latest news out of Comic-Con
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