Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has released a trailer featuring the dark wizard who returns to menace Newt Scamander and friends in the Harry Potter prequel.
“The crimes of Grindelwald have been crimes of violence and terror. But we also see his immense seductive power,” said Harry Potter author and Fantastic Beasts screenwriter J.K. Rowling, in an interview given to Comicbook.
Johnny Depp characterises his charming and ruthless Grindelwald as a powerful manipulative menace to the world. He’s convinced that the only way forward is total domination over the people as shown in the trailer.
“Much like his eventual successor Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Grindelwald prizes the ascension of wizards and witches over muggles and now seeks to rally all power into his camp”, commented actor Ezra Miller in the same interview.
A younger Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) has to manoeuvre to try and stop Grindelwald’s rise prefacing their complex, long-standing relationship.
During their very first conversation in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Dumbledore tells Harry that he sees himself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks when he looks in the Mirror of Erised. However, as J.K. Rowling’s series progressed, it became clear that Dumbledore’s deepest desire probably had little to do with cosy foot accessories.
In the final trailer for the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the second instalment in the planned five-film series, Dumbledore is shown pulling a sheet off of the Mirror and gazing into it.
It appears that fans may finally get to see what the magical mirror truly showed Hogwarts’ most beloved headmaster.
Casting the Pirates of the Caribbean star proved a bit tricky for Warner Bros. studio in the light of domestic abuse accusations made by Depp’s ex-wife, Aquaman star Amber Heard, who alleged Depp physically and emotionally abused her.
Rowling and director David Yates defended Depp, saying the filmmakers were comfortable and happy having Depp on board in a major role, a position that in turn saw Rowling excoriated and disowned by disappointed Harry Potter fans.
Depp mentioned to EW, “I’ll be honest with you, I felt bad for J.K. having to field all these various feelings from people out there. I felt bad that she had to take that. But ultimately, there is a real controversy. The fact remains I was falsely accused, which is why I’m suing the Sun newspaper for defamation for repeating false accusations. Rowling. has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused, and that’s why she has publicly supported me. She doesn’t take things lightly. She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth. So that’s really it.”
Depp has since confirmed he’ll return in the third Fantastic Beasts, already slated for 20 November, 2020, again written by Rowling and directed by Yates.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens 16 November.