New ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequel Photo Teases the Most Epic Duel In Wizard History
We’re exactly one year and a day away from the second Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them movie. Last month Warner Bros. announced the official cast for the sequel, including awesome additions to the franchise like Jessica Williams. But today – which is also the 15th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – the wizarding world is giving us a little sneak peak of what’s the come, and it’s pretty exciting.
The official Fantastic Beasts Twitter account unveiled a photo teasing something fans have been dying to see for years:
To the average, non-Potter fan viewer, this just looks like a photo of two random wands. But my friends, those aren’t just any wands, but presumably the ones involved in the greatest wizarding duel of all time. First, a history lesson. J.K. Rowling’s books describe a duel in 1945 between a Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. The two young wizards were the best of friends (and perhaps even more), until the hunt for the Deathly Hallows led the latter to get greedy and steal the Elder Wand from its maker. Grindelwald grew to become the darkest wizard of all time, and good old Albus was the only one who could stop him. So they duked it out the magical way, the to-be Hogwarts Headmaster won, and thus gained ownership of the world’s most powerful wand.
Since Rowling announced that the Fantastic Beasts series would involve a young Dumbledore (to be played by Jude Law), fans have been anticipating a big screen adaptation of the duel, and the above photo is practically confirmation it’s happening. Plus, a recent press release teased that the new movie would include “surprising nods to the Harry Potter stories that will delight fans of the books and film series.” The duel was only referenced as a past event in the books, but luckily Rowling wrote the screenplay for the sequel, so we know the duel will be as authentic to her original vision as can be. But the question remains… what’s the wand on the right?
There’s two likely explanations: It could be Dumbledore’s original wand (which we never really got details about in the books) that he used against Grindelwald in the duel – remember, Gellert fought with the Elder Wand. Or it could be the Dark Wizard’s original wand, the same wand used to inflict Aberforth Dumbledore with the Cruciatus Curse, which then led to Ariana Dumbledore’s death. Now I’m just getting carried away with Potter-verse history, but how fun would it be if the events we read about years ago finally make it to the screen?
The second Fantastic Beasts sequel will feature the return of Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander as he hops over to Paris to help capture Johnny Depp’s Grindelwald. Here’s the official synopsis:
J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay for the film, which opens in 1927, a few months after Newt helped to unveil and capture the infamous Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. However, as he promised he would, Grindelwald has made a dramatic escape and has been gathering more followers to his cause—elevating wizards above all non-magical beings. The only one who might be able to stop him is the wizard he once called his dearest friend, Albus Dumbledore. But Dumbledore will need help from the wizard who had thwarted Grindelwald once before, his former student Newt Scamander. The adventure reunites Newt with Tina, Queenie and Jacob, but his mission will also test their loyalties as they face new perils in an increasingly dangerous and divided wizarding world.
The untitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel hits theaters November 16, 2018. And considering tomorrow marks a full year out from the release, keep your eyes peeled for more potential sneak peeks.
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