Fantastic Beasts is a series of five films based on J.K. Rowling's book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them . The book has served as a spin-off for Warner Bros. from the Harry Potter universe , allowing them to continue their audiovisual legacy and expand the cinematic universe that was so successful with the original Harry Potter series. So far, Warner Bros. has already produced three of the five films they initially planned. In the following lines, we'll discuss everything you need to know about this saga, from its origins to the studio's future plans. There are strong rumors that the saga may have been prematurely canceled, which wouldn't surprise us given all the controversy surrounding the franchise.
A work that crosses the limits of fiction
The original book , Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , is a compendium written by none other than Newt Scamander (in the fictional world, of course). The acclaimed magizoologist from the Harry Potter universe wrote it at the request of Augustus Worme, editor-in-chief of Obscurus Books , who asked him in 1918 to create an authoritative guide to magical creatures from all corners of the globe.
At that time, Newt Scamander was just a low-ranking employee at the Ministry of Magic who found the idea of ​​a paid vacation to gather information and create the first Pokédex in the wizarding world very tempting. Newt's life has parallels with that of Charles Darwin , who was offered a similar adventure aboard the HMS Beagle . This ship was to undertake a scientific expedition around the world, measuring ocean currents and mapping the coastline. During this two-year odyssey that stretched to five, the young Charles worked as a naturalist, collecting specimens to send back to Cambridge, studying geology, and developing his theories of evolutionary origin. Indeed, great voyages unleash the greatest adventures, both in the real world and the magical one.
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them first arrived in Muggle bookstores —sorry, non-wizards —in 2001, although it already had 52 editions in the wizarding world since its first printing in 1927. For copyright reasons, this book was published under the authorship of J.K. Rowling, who donated all rights to the charity Comic Relief , which focuses on projects to promote social justice and help end poverty.
What does it have to do with Harry Potter?
What makes Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them so beloved? Well, it's not just because it's the work of the Félix RodrÃguez de la Fuente of the wizarding world, but also because it has a touch of Harry Potter himself. The edition we received was a facsimile of the book Harry would have used for his Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's scribbled, doodled, and annotated by Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and even includes a foreword by Albus Dumbledore. A true collector's item for fans of this magical universe.
On the other hand, when it came to bringing the world of Harry Potter back to the big screen , the franchise's producers decided that this book offered plenty of material to further develop the lore of this magical universe, presenting a fantastic opportunity to return to theaters with a prequel. This is how the saga went from a small book for fans to becoming a whole new series of films filled with adventures and mysteries to uncover within the universe we came to know through Harry Potter.
What films are part of the pentalogy of Fantastic Animals?
This new saga of films also integrated into Wizarding World began in 2016. It is expected to be a pentalogy. To date, a total of three feature films have come out, while the remaining two have neither a confirmed date nor an assigned title.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
The first installment of this film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's short book arrived in 2016. The screenplay was written by the British author and directed by David Yates . It serves as both a prequel and a spin-off to Harry Potter. Initially, it was planned as a potential series, but this wasn't confirmed until the film's box office success.
Fantastic Beasts takes us to 1926, where Newt Scamander is finishing a round-the-world journey documenting its creatures, just as Darwin did in the real world. Upon arriving in New York, Scamander carries with him a curious suitcase full of magical creatures. It is this suitcase that will ultimately get him into trouble, because in a moment of inattention, the protagonist is listening to Mary Lou Barebone and a Niffler escapes from the suitcase. The researcher manages to retrieve the specimen, but Jacob Kowalski, a non-magical citizen, spots him. In a desperate attempt, Newt Scamander tries to remove him from the area to erase his memory. But, unfortunately for him, Kowalski attacks him and flees with his suitcase.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
This film takes place months after the events of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them . Gellert Grindelwald , the dark wizard, is being transported to Europe to stand trial for his crimes . During the journey to London, he manages to escape with the help of Abernathy, a former employee of the Magical Congress of the United States.
Newt Scamander manages to have his travel ban lifted by the British Ministry of Magic (though it was understandable after the fuss he made the last time he was allowed to cross the border). There he encounters Leta Lestrange, a former classmate from Hogwarts. Newt is once again granted permission to travel on the condition that he finds Credence Barebone, a highly dangerous Obscurial .
Dumbledore's Secrets (2022)
In 2022, according to the original rundown, the fourth installment of Fantastic Animals should have arrived. However, the pandemic delayed the studio's forecasts, which had to cancel filming in 2020. Later, another important change would take place that would further delay this third installment.
This film is the eleventh installment in the Wizarding World series. The pandemic wasn't the only obstacle to filming. The controversy surrounding Johnny Depp also prompted the studio to replace him with Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald, despite strong fan opposition, who considered this role one of Depp's best performances.
Regarding the plot, this installment finally focuses on the inevitable: what Albus Dumbledore knows about the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald . To stop him, Dumbledore will seek the help of magizoologist Newt Scamander. Together, they will lead their own group of witches and wizards. Meanwhile, Grindelwald will also have his own legion of followers.
Characters of the saga
Until the pentalogy is completed in theaters, these are some of the most important characters who have appeared in the films:
- Newt Scamander: played by Eddie Redmayne, and is the original author—in fiction—of the book itself Fantastic beasts and where to find them. He is a British-born magizoologist, very eccentric and rather quiet.
- Porpentine: aka 'Tina' Goldstein. She is a former aurora who worked for MACUSA, that is, the Magical Congress of the American Sole Society.
- Grindelwald: also known as 'the dark magician', the most feared until the arrival of the nameless. This character was played by Johnny Depp and Mads Mikkelsen from the third film.
- Jacob Kowalsky: a muggle who ends up discovering the secrets of the wizarding community after his encounter with Newt Scamander. The role is played by comedian Dan Fogler.
- Percival Graves: played by Colin Farrell, he is the director of MACUSA and is the one who orders to find Newt Scamander after his incident with magical creatures.
- Queenie goldstein: brought to life by Alison Sudol. She is about Porpentina's sister (they live together, in addition to being an employee of Congress and capable of "reading minds".
- Albus Dumbledore: The one who will end up being the director of Hogwarts is played by Jude Law.
- Splashback Barebone: The controversial actor Ezra Miller has been in charge of interpreting it so far (ahem). Credence is the adopted son of Mary Lou Barebone.
- Mary Lou Barbone: leader of the Philanthropic Society of New Salem (an extremist group that seeks the elimination of wizards and witches), is played by Samantha Morton.
- Seraphina Picquery: Carmen Ejogo gives life to the President of the Unique Magic Congress of the American Society (MACUSA).
Is Fantastic Beasts 4 in danger?
Mixing politics and art does not usually give good results. And although we have no doubt that Warner removed Depp from his production for minimizing the controversy, the truth is that they have gotten into a quagmire from which it is already difficult to get out.
JK Rowling and her comments don't help
The Fantastic Beasts saga has always been full of controversy. First, fans accused JK Rowling of making transphobic comments. The Internet has never forgiven the British author, for which reason already at the beginning, this film saga was born with some rejection by a sector of fans.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's soap opera
The decision to remove Johnny Depp from the third installment led many fans to abandon the franchise and boycott the film. Following the conclusion of the year's most controversial trial, Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard, this mistake has become even more apparent. While both parties emerged from the ordeal negatively, the actor was acquitted of virtually all charges. Therefore, Warner Bros. may have erred somewhat in its approach to "Minority Report," as Heard's lawsuit has resulted in damages that cannot be remedied with money, such as the dismantling of his character by replacing him with Mads Mikkelsen.
The Chinese help even less
Furthermore, the third installment had to be censored in China, as the homosexuality of Dumbledore and Grindelwald did not pass muster in the Asian giant. These kinds of issues are quite controversial, as it is not the first time a production has faced a Chinese blockade and seen its revenue projections shattered.
All of this greatly complicates the future of this saga, especially with the aforementioned third installment not having grossed as much at the box office as expected. Variety even suggested that the studio had ruled out starting a new project in 2023, which could therefore be the end of the saga. However, Warner Bros. executives have already dismissed this possibility, assuring everyone that the franchise has a long future ahead. And despite everything mentioned, the product generates far more money than we realize (it's not just a matter of box office success), and that needs to continue to be exploited.