The final trailer for J.K. Rowling’s first cinematic foray into the Harry Potter expanded universe debuted Wednesday morning on Ellen. In it we get a hint that Grindelwald, one of the most dangerous dark wizards in history, might play a larger role in Fantastic Beasts. We also see Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, quite often looking as though he’s just about to vomit.
You can watch the latest trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them below:
Right after the Warner Bros. logo appears, we get a chorus of mouthy Yanks flapping their their yaps about wizardry, American style. It’s all very “youse guys” / “Hey, I’m walkin’ here,” etc. Throughout the trailer are scattered snippets of political propaganda and fearmongering, a car chase, and (of course) guns. The whole thing seems geared toward showing the audience they’ve entered a new world of wizardry -- with a bit of Gatsby-era flair -- but it draws quite greedily from a host of bargain-basement stereotypes about Americans. Not that some of those stereotypes aren’t apt on occasion, but it all comes off a bit lazy from a franchise with a proven track record of stellar world-building and rich, relatable characters.
Still, the new footage has its high points, too. One line of particular note to Harry Potter fans will be, “This is related to Grindelwald’s attacks in Europe.” In the books, Grindelwald was a tremendously powerful dark wizard, second only to Voldemort. Slashfilm suspects Grindelwald may turn out to be the big bad of Fantastic Beasts, citing the once-close relationship between Grindelwald and Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore: “Their relationship ran deeper than friendship as Albus Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, a revelation that J.K. Rowling explained at the same time she revealed Dumbledore was gay. The future Hogwarts headmaster was blinded by his love, and eventually turned on Grindelwald, resulting in a duel that included his brother Aberforth, which in turn caused the death of their sister Ariana.”
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters worldwide Nov. 18.
What did you think of the latest trailer? Would you like to see Grindelwald play a major role in the story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
