Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald looks like it may very well be the Wizarding World spin-off us Potterheads deserve. Its predecessor, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them didn’t really offer all that much to the table despite being pretty alright but this next one looks like it may really build on the lore of the Wizarding World. Taking place decades before the events of the Harry Potter series, the film will see Newt Schamander (Eddie Redmayne) back along with familiar names from the O.G. series including Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and of course Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
The casting of Gridelwald has been controversial to say the least since Depp has been well, a contentious topic to discuss to say the least. Some may even want him out of the series but it looks like that won’t be happening as Depp may be attached to this series in the future.
Speaking to Collider, Depp discussed his involvement with the Wizarding World and expressed his enjoyment in playing the character. He also revealed that he will return to the series or at least for the third film. He said:
“I loved it yeah. I loved it because that’s really an arena where you can fly around and try different things and approach a character with a lot more…um…to take someone who is teetering on being a fascist, yeah he’s a fascist, he’s one of those, but to play him as a sensitive, concerned yet manipulative and powerful wizard. The possibilities in that world are wide open, so you can really try anything. So it was a gas and I look forward to the next installment, which I think we start the middle of next year.”
He’ll probably stay on but Depp may be a factor in the film’s box-office performance. He could be a great Grindelwald but yeah, he’s not an entirely positive figure to have in a film these days. Granted, he’s playing a villain but still…. We’ll have to wait to see what happens with this film but all I want is a Wizarding World film to rival the original HP series.
Source: Collider
