For anyone like me, who happily waited hours in a mass of cold teenagers bickering over the pronunciation of Wingardium Leviosa, it’s time to reprise your wizard’s robes and pull out your wand (even if it’s just a stick). For not only was the final trailer released for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but Warner Bros. just announced an international fan event in conjunction with the movie. On October 13th, a little over a month before Fantastic Beasts is released, the fan gatherings will be held in theaters all over the world. In addition to the requisite line waiting, pointed hat wearing, and attempted spell-casting, the event will stream a live Q&A session with the cast and new excerpts from the film. Hopefully, these clips will expand on some of the most exciting aspects from trailers, including a number of new characters and beasts, and glimpses of America’s Magical Congress.
In addition to highlighting new creatures, the trailer gives us our first look at an adorable Niffler, which, though written into the original book series, was never seen in the previous eight movies. But besides the Niffler, and a brief mention of Grindelwald the trailer features few aspects from the previous films. The film is set about 70 years before the original Harry Potter series and takes place in America, instead of England. Because of this, the contemporary clothes of the originals are replaced with delicately designed period dress, and the Ministry of Magic is replaced by the Congress and powerful witch Seraphina (Selma’s Carmen Ejogo).
The screenplay was written by J.K. Rowling, who seems to be expanding into scriptwriting this year with both Fantastic Beast’s and play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The film is directed by David Yates of the last four, and some of the best, Harry Potter, installments.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
Tickets are available online here, and both the trailer and event announcement can be seen below. Good luck re-entering the extraordinary world of wizardry!
Advertisement
Advertisement