Fantastic Beasts scoop: All 5 movies will be set in different cities

James Hibberd
Updated

J.K. Rowling has an ambitious globe-trotting master plan for the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

You already know the first film, 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was set in New York. And you’re probably aware the second title, The Crimes of Grindelwald, is largely set in Paris.

But now director David Yates confirms that having different cities in the first two films is actually two parts of a larger pattern that will continue through the remaining three movies.

“Yes,” Yates replied when asked if each film is set in a different city. “Jo’s already told us where the next one is taking place. It’s very exciting. This is a global story, ultimately. And given that there’s a global audience for this, it’s all the more delightful to take the story to different parts of the world.”

So which cities will the Fantastic Beasts wizard tour go next? That, of course, Yates wouldn’t reveal. But Germany would seem to be a likely target given all the World War II allusions in the story of Grindelwald (the prison Grindelwald eventually builds to house his enemies, for example, is called Nurmengard — which is speculated to have been inspired by the German city of Nuremberg). To see the wizarding world version of Japan would be amazing, so let’s hope for that. One clue would be the whereabouts of the fateful 1945 duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald — since we know that’s coming eventually — but the location of that event not been previously disclosed.

Previously producer David Heyman explained how The Crimes of Grindelwald takes place almost entirely in Paris, though other cities are glimpsed as well. “We delve deeper into [J.K. Rowling’s] wizarding world — we’re in Paris, we’re in London and New York — the world is expanding,” Heyman says. “As you can tell from the [cast photo], we’re following quite a few characters. The new film has a very 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.”

The news comes as Warner Bros. released a couple new images over the weekend from The Crimes of Grindelwald, which arrives in theaters on Nov. 16.