We’ve still got a long way off before the new Fantastic Beasts movie makes its appearance in theaters, but we did get a sneak peek of actor Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander earlier this week. Now, Entertainment Weekly is revealing more info about what we might be able to expect from the film (you mean it gets even more interesting than NO-MAJ?)
While we were under the impression that Newt would be the star of the show, turns out it’s going to involve more of an ensemble cast—four wizards, in fact, who come together as a team. “The assumption is Newt’s front and center, but it’s a quartet,” Redmayne said in the interview. “So that feels like it slightly takes the [pressure] off. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.” It’s certainly a difference from Harry Potter’s story; this time, maybe there’ll be more than one hero?
American wizards, interestingly enough, are very much underground due to the threat of persecution from Muggles—or, groan, No-Majs. (Wait, is that even the right plural tense?) The Salem witch trials were a majorly devastating part of wizarding history, and now there’s a new group for our heroes to contend with—the New Salem Philanthropic Society, who are attempting to expose all wizards on U.S. soil.
Oh! In typical American fashion, there’s no Ministry of Magic but a Magical Congress. I’ll admit that bit of news was delightful to read.
And even though we’re technically in the past (the Fantastic Beasts world is set in the 1920s, as we’ve already heard), there’s also more of a sense of modernity since the characters will be running around a bustling city instead of being cooped up within the walls of Hogwarts. (That being said, would it be possible to get a young Dumbledore cameo? Just a suggestion.)
According to reports, this is only the first in a series of films that J.K. Rowling will be writing—she already has two more movies planned out. I confess I’m definitely curious to see how Fantastic Beasts plays out on screen; too bad we’ve still got to wait until next year!
(via Entertainment Weekly)
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