The "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" series just keeps getting bigger. First, it was announced that the trilogy was going to be expanded into a five-film series. Then, Johnny Depp was cast as the dangerous Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald for the sequel. Director David Yates also confirmed that Albus Dumbledore will appear in the next film. That's already a lot of information to digest for fans of the "Harry Potter" world. But there's more.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Yates said he would be willing to helm every film in the series. The publication also revealed that author J.K. Rowling is going to write the screenplay for the entire series. That's certainly better than having different directors and screenwriters for each film. At least there's going to be a sense of continuity.
Meanwhile, Rowling told Variety that the series would span 19 years. Screen Rant noted that "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is supposed to take place in 1926, so the series should end in 1945, the year Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald. Now that fight would be epic. The publication also pointed out that Tom Riddle was born on Dec. 31, 1926, so maybe the future Lord Voldemort could also appear in the series.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" may share the same wizarding world as the "Harry Potter" series, but producer David Heyman thinks the film can stand on its own even if the audience hasn't seen a single "Harry Potter" film or read the books. Of course, he did say that there's an additional experience for fans who have prior knowledge of the series.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will feature Eddie Redmayne as the eccentric wizard Newt Scamander. Katherine Waterston will portray former Auror Porpentina Goldstein. The film will premiere worldwide on Nov. 18.
