Fans have been eagerly awaiting news about the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ever since J. K. Rowling revealed she was writing a five-film series 2016. The original film followed magizoologist Newt Scamander and his adventures in New York City. In this new film, Newt will return to stop Grindelwald with the help of his new American friends and his old pal Albus Dumbledore. You can read the official synopsis for below.

The year is 1927; a few months have passed since the events of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Gellert Grindelwald has escaped imprisonment as he promised and has begun gathering followers to his cause—elevating wizards above all non-magical beings. The only one capable of putting a stop to him is the wizard he once called his closest friend, Albus Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore will need to seek help from the wizard who had thwarted Grindelwald once before, his former student Newt Scamander. The adventure reunites Newt with American friends Tina, Queenie and Jacob, but his mission will test their loyalties as they face new perils in an increasingly dangerous and divided wizarding world.

The Title

The title Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald follows previous book-to-film adaptations by trying to connect to sequel title to the first film by keeping the first part of the title similar. (Ex. The Hunger Games…, The Twilight Saga…, The Divergent Series…, Maze Runner…) However, this title doesn’t fit since this entry will probably not involve Newt capturing any magical creatures like with the previous film. It would have worked better if the title were “Fantastic Beasts and Where to…” just changing up the ending. Better yet, considering the plot, simply titling it “The Crimes of Grindelwald” would have been acceptable. This would have made the series similar to the James Bond franchise in that every film has a title related to the plot and not the previous film.

The Cast

The first photo gives us a first look at new and returning cast members including: Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Claudia Kim, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Katherine Waterston, Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol And Johnny Depp. Jude Law is playing a young Albus Dumbledore, previously portrayed by Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, and Toby Regbo in the Harry Potter films. Zoë Kravitz plays Leta Lestrange, a former love interest of Newt. Callum Turner plays Theseus Scamander, the older brother of Newt and “war hero”, who has spent the year hunting Grindelwald with a team of British Aurors. He is currently engaged to Leta Lestrange. Kim is playing the mysterious main attraction of the wizarding circus and freakshow and love interest of Credence. The first trailer should drop before the end of the year.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald aims to take us back to the wizarding world on November 11, 2018.

Are you a fan of the new title? Are you excited about a new trailer? What do you think of the new cast members? Leave your comments below!