Fantastic Beasts (film series)

Fantastic Beasts is a film series set in the Harry Potter universe, decades before the events on the books. The series stars Newt Scamander, author of the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and is set during the Global Wizarding War. Major roles include Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone, Johnny Depp (in the first two films) and Mads Mikkelsen (in the third) as Gellert Grindelwald, and Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore.

The film series starts in 1926, with the final part set at the onset of World War II.

The first film of the series is set in New York City, where Newt teams up with Muggle Jacob Kowalski and the Goldstein sisters in his search for Magical Creatures who have escaped from his magical suitcase.

The second film of the series, set one year later, features all the main characters (except Dumbledore) going to Paris for various reasons, all somehow connected to Credence Barebone, who is searching for his origin. It ultimately leads to a battle involving Gellert Grindelwald, the most powerful Dark Wizard of the time, and his Acolytes. The film also explores the backstory of Leta Lestrange.

The third film of the series is set a globe-trotting adventure (UK, US, Bhutan, China, Germany) set years after the second that focuses on the Wizarding World's entry into World War II.

Followed by an intensely Troubled Production, the future of the Fantastic Beasts series hinged on the success of The Secrets of Dumbledore. And while it was a critical improvement over The Crimes of Grindelwald, it barely made up half its budget. As a result, WB appears to have pulled the plug on Fantastic Beasts, saying that they were not in "active discussion" with J. K. Rowling regarding the fourth and fifth films, neither of whom were in active development by November 2022. But, at the same time, there's been no official word that the series is cancelled.

The series has three films, which are:

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

The films provide examples of

• Alliterative Name: Leta Lestrange.
• Ascended Extra: Newt Scamander, who was only mentioned briefly in the books, and given some backstory in the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Porpentina, first introduced in that book as Newt's wife, as well.
  • Leta Lestrange is only mentioned a few times and seen in a picture in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and becomes a major character in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Theseus Scamander is also briefly mentioned in the first film and becomes a more notable character in the second film.
  • Eulalie Hicks, who had a very minor role in the second film, is confirmed to have a larger role in the third film.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: The main four characters of the first film: Newt: Supine/Phlegmatic, Tina: Melancholic, Jacob: Choleric, Queenie: Sanguine.
• Hereditary Curse: Nagini, a Maledictus, has a blood curse which causes her to eventually turn into a snake permanently.
• Muggles: They, known as No-majs in America, are present in the films, including Jacob Kowalski and Mary Lou Barebone.
• Saved by Canon: Gellert Grindelwald, Albus Dumbledore, Nagini and Nicolas Flamel were all guaranteed to survive the events of the films, so they could die in Harry Potter.
• Secret War: The Global Wizarding War is secret from the Muggles.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: The romance between witch Queenie Goldstein and No-maj Jacob Kowalski, due to laws in the American wizarding society. This eventually drives Queenie to join Grindelwald, even against Jacob's wishes. Fortunately, as of the end of The Secrets of Dumbledore, they got better and even married after Queenie decided to defect Grindelwald's side.