Manuel here. We talked briefly a while ago about Eddie Redmayne's dapper outfit as Newt Scamander in JK Rowling's upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. We got a teaser shortly thereafter and now, we've gotten some behind the scenes footage of the Harry Potter spinoff that fleshes out a bit more about what we can expect from this franchise prequel.
The film follows Scamandar, a famed British Magizoologist who arrives in New York City in the 1920s with a suitcase full of fantastic beasts some of whom escape, putting the necessary plot into motion. Joining him are a pair of wizarding sisters (played by Katherine Waterstone and Alison Sudol) as well as a muggle (Dan Fogler, perhaps the most curious casting of them all) — together they must... well, it's unclear still. I'm guessing they'll have to wrangle the beasts back into the suitcase? We're still in teaser territory so maybe we shouldn't worry about that yet.
You can watch the entire video below but I've isolated four moments that caught my attention.
01 JK Rowling. Much of the promo material has, understandably, heavily relied on the "JK" factor. Fantastic Beasts is her first stab at screenwriting though her close consulting during the Harry Potter films must have worked as a wonderful screenplay bootcamp for the bestelling novelist. Can lightning (forgive me the pun) strike twice, though? Redmaybe suggests that this is "imagination taken to the extreme" and while the visuals sure look appealing, will we find a compelling narrative at the core that'll match that of the boy who lived?
02 Carmen Ejogo! We all need more Ejogo in our lives. I recently rewatched Selma and I was floored once again by her performance of Coretta King. The four leads in Fantastic Beasts are all (much to a lot of people's chagrin) white, suggesting yet again a limited imagined wizarding world as well as a pale vision of New York in the 1920s, but here's hoping at least Ejogo gets a plum role. Her garbs suggest distinction as well as power which YASSS!
03 Colin Farrell! Remember In Bruges? I sure do. And after seeing him in The Lobster I keep hoping his career will pick up once again (True Detective, while good on paper didn't really do wonders for its talented cast, did it?) Add to that some salt and pepper and well, I'm ready for Farrell's wand, er performance.
04 Eddie & Katherine. Say what you will about Redmayne but he has a knack for crafting crackling chemistry with his female co-stars and his pairing with Waterston (sure to have a big couple of years ahead what with this and Alien: Covenant) will hopefully deliver on that as well.
Much of the film's plot remains a mystery — as does much of the rest of the cast that'll populate this film (and its inevitable sequels), including Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Ron Perlman, Gemma Chan and Jon Voigt — but we're hoping that'll change soon once we get a proper first trailer. In the meantime, what has you most excited about this property other than the wonderful Colleen Atwood costumes on display?