Wands at the ready, folks, for Warner Bros. has just released the very first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. And a very Dumbledore-centric one at that.
We begin with a sweeping long shot of Hogwarts, whose weathered towers and sun-kissed spires rise up out of the Scottish Highlands, before the footage cuts to the young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), who is thrust into the midst of an inquisition – presumably at the behest of the Ministry of Magic – about the elusive Newt Scamander.
Turns out our bumbling hero is already half-way to France, where a new mission is afoot. In fact, it’s all but certain that Dumbledore will be lending a hand, too, as we see his famous Deluminator at work on the cobbled streets of Paris.
Beyond that, we know that the hugely anticipated sequel largely revolves around Johnny Depp’s titular dark wizard and his tyrannical campaign against non-magical beings. Truth be told, Warner’s upcoming blockbuster attracted some controversy for its decision to stand by Depp amid allegations of domestic violence, so we’re intrigued to find out whether his involvement has much of a bearing on the final box office numbers.
Angled as the second installment in a five-film saga, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will hope to cast a spell over Potterheads on November 16th.
And after that? Another three prequels set in the wider Potter universe, with each movie expected to take place in a totally different city. We’ve already paid a visit to 1920s New York, while The Crimes of Grindelwald is about to whisk viewers off on a Parisian adventure, so there’s no telling what Warner Bros. and director David Yates have in store for their “global story.”