Warner Brothers’ Fantastic Beasts film franchise has given Harry Potter fans a look at a piece of history before the young wizard went on to save the world. So far, the two films have explored different geographical locations, with Where to Find Them (2016) set in New York, and The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) set in Paris.

Now the franchise heads to a new direction. This time they are heading to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Not only that but author J.K. Rowling will be penning the script with Steve Kloves. More on all of this below.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Director: David Yates
Writer: J.K. Rowling
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law, Johnny Depp
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rated PG-13| 134 Minutes
Release Date: November 16, 2018

Another Fantastic Beasts film is a great excuse to revisit the ever-expanding wizarding world of Harry Potter. It proves that there is still a lot of mythology to explore and stories that need to be told. However, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a poor attempt to continue that story.

Rather than build upon the foundation of the title franchise, the sequel is far too concerned with building its own franchise and treats its own characters like exposition pieces that are to be discarded when they have served their purpose. My full review, below.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and prequel to the Harry Potter film series. In it, we get to see a young Newt Scamader (Eddie Redmayne) being recruited by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to defeat the likes of the evil and powerful dark wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

With the film hitting theaters next week, we are going to see an increase in promotional material. And, of course, when we do see the film, it will reveal more connections to the Harry Potter films and expand its universe. Now, a couple of new featurettes explore those connections and Dumbledore’s journey through the years of Fantastic Beasts all the way to Harry Potter. Check them out below.

Years ago I became a fan of Dan Fogler from his offbeat comedies Balls of Fury (2007) and Fanboys (2009). He has since blossomed into one of the “it” guys in the business right now as he readies to appear in season 9 of TV’s biggest show, AMC’s The Walking Dead, has Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald coming to theaters in mid November, and has a recurring role in ABC’s The Goldbergs. He is also a writer of graphic novels, which all led him to this year’s New York Comic-Con. The Brooklyn-born actor and author sat at the Heavy Metal booth selling out copies of his graphic novel, Brooklyn Gladiator, before taking a few minutes to jump in a press room for some questions.

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the final trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the second movie in the Harry Potter spinoff series following 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

You can find much more information on The Crimes of Grindelwald in the full synopsis and check out the latest trailer below.