"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" now has its first trailer, giving fans the first sneak peek at the continuation of the "Harry Potter" spin-off. In the trailer, the story returns once more to Hogwarts, where a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) has enlisted the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in hunting down the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
Fans of the "Harry Potter" book and film series are likely familiar with the story of Gellert Grindelwald, although it was not fully explored in the original series. Grindelwald was a dark wizard who rose to power before Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes in the "Harry Potter" films) did.
Grindelwald and Dumbledore were once friends when they were students at Durmstrang and Hogwarts, respectively. They both bonded over the ideal that Muggles (as non-magical humans are called in the books and films) should be subservient to wizards. However, Dumbledore eventually saw the wrong in this "new world order," while Grindelwald embraced it.
The enmity between the two powerful wizards eventually led to a duel, which killed Dumbledore's younger sister Ariana.
Grindelwald was eventually defeated. He was sent to the wizarding prison Nurmengard, which Grindelwald himself built to imprison those who had opposed him. Decades later, he was killed by Voldemort, who came to the prison looking for the Elder Wand, a powerful magical artifact.
The new trailer shows the younger Dumbledore enlisting Newt's help in tracking down his former friend. Interestingly, the trailer also shows a group of wizards Apparating (the wizarding term for teleporting) onto Hogwart grounds. However, as "Harry Potter" fans know, Hogwarts is protected by enchantments that make it impossible to Apparate into Hogwarts.
Thus, it is possible that the "Fantastic Beasts" series will eventually explain what made it necessary to have such enchantments guarding Hogwarts. Maybe Apparition into Hogwarts was previously allowed, but the rise of the powerful dark wizard Grindelwald made additional protective enchantments necessary to keep the school and its students safe.
As in the first "Fantastic Beasts" film, this one can also be expected to showcase more fantastic magical beasts, including thestrals and a phoenix, amid Newt and Dumbledore's adventures in pursuit of Grindelwald.
Newt's Muggle friend Jacob (Dan Fogler) will also be coming along for the ride, and Newt's love interest Tina (Katherine Waterston) and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) will also be returning. It also seems that Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz), Newt's mysterious almost-lover, will finally make an appearance.
"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" will premiere on Nov. 15 in Australia, and Nov. 16 in the United States and the United Kingdom.
