More details have been surfacing recently regarding the specifics of the upcoming installment to the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. One such detail was revealed regarding where the sequel will be taking place. Here is a hint: It is not in America.
The first film delved into the wizarding community in New York City, as well as its governing body the Magical Congress of the United States of America or MACUSA for short. Now, the film's director David Heyman revealed that the story will be set primarily in Paris. As revealed by Entertainment Weekly, Heyman shed some light on the conflicting reports of where the second film woul take place. He revealed that it will almost entirely be set in Paris. Could this mean that audiences will get to see some of BeauxBatons' earliest students? Probably.
Heyman also previously explained why he thinks "The Crimes of Grindelwald" will be better than the first film. The director said that this time around, it is a deeper look into the wizarding world as a whole. From London, as seen in the "Harry Potter" movies, to New York, as seen in the first film, and now to Paris. He went on to say that the film will be following a number of characters and that the sequel will have a different feel than the first.
"It's got a thriller quality. And it's also a story about love and passion and all its forms - paternal, romantic, political. And it's just a thrilling and very fun adventure. We took all we've learned from one and just expanded that and created a richer, deeper, and more thrilling film which I'm excited to be a part of," Heyman explained.
Included in the second film is Albus Dumbledore, but a younger version of him will be portrayed by Jude Law in the upcoming movie. Knowing that the young Albus is part of this story, it does bring up some speculation that maybe another significant character in the Harry Potter universe might emerge. The character in question? Tom Riddle a.k.a. Lord Voldemort himself.
This theory does have some points to it, as told by Elite Daily. Young Dumbledore was the one who found Voldemort. Should he not appear in this film, perhaps he will be seen in the future films.
With this in mind, there is Dumbledore's history to consider. He was born in 1881, and attended Hogwarts from 1892 to 1899. That year was when he met Gellert Grindelwald who became his good friend until a terrible fallout happened which resulted in a three-way duel with Albus, his brother Aberforth, and Gellert. This duel resulted in the death of his sister Ariana.
Ten years later, Dumbledore started working at Hogwarts as the Transfiguration professor in 1910. He was still the Transfiguration professor when Newt Scamander got expelled, despite vouching for him to stay. It seems that some of this story will be shown in the second installment. The teenage versions of both Albus and Gellert have been cast, along with a teenage version of Newt Scamander.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is set in 1926, and by this time Dumbledore was also working freelance for "Transfiguration Today," while teaching and recruiting half-bloods and muggle-born witches and wizards in Hogwarts. Most of "The Crimes of Grindelwald" will take place in 1927, a year after Voldemort's predecessor was captured and after Newt's most famous book was published.
So this means that Albus will use the book tour to find out what Gellert is up to, while turning Newt into a sort of spy. Whether or not Albus is aware that he holds the Elder Wand has yet to be determined, but there is speculation that he has at least heard of it, and is curious to know what his former friend is up to, and if they are still determined to eliminate the muggles.
However, Voldemort was born in 1926. This means that during the first movie, the future dark lord was only one year old so it is highly likely that he will not appear in some form in the upcoming movie. So, if not in the upcoming film, perhaps he will emerge somewhere in the next three films?
"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" will premiere on Nov. 16, 2018.
