Exclusive Interview: Ezra Miller on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” opened to $77.1 million in 2007 and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” bowed to $77.8 million in 2009. The first film releasing later this week begins in 1926, and if my arithmancy is correct, that would put the end of the series at around 1945.

“I think, when you realise what story we’re really telling, you’ll understand that it can’t possibly fit in one movie”, she said. After arriving in 1926 NY for personal business and research for his book, Newt finds himself wrapped up in a tangled plot, involving loose critters from his own briefcase, witch hunts and an vast threat to the magical community.

I haven’t been excited about this series until very recently, but given my recent re-watch of the Yates Potter films (Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows 1 & 2), I’m optimistic about his return to the franchise. Gone are the tales of children getting wrapped up in prophecy and dark magic.

After all, Rowling’s original Fantastic Beasts script was nurtured by her trusted Potter confederacy of producer David Heyman and director David Yates. It was a story that managed to, there was a thriller element, there was a darkness to it, but there was great humor and that thing that [Rowling] did in all of the Potter films: “that it has great heart at the center of it too”. Built around 1914-1917, the building is Greek and Italian inspired in its architecture, with many sculptures on its frontage, adding to the old world charm of “Fantastic Beasts”.

A No-Maj called Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) accidentally picks up Newt’s luggage and releases otherworldly species in breach of the Statute of Secrecy.

“Fantastic Beasts” features dark tones and buildings and interiors in rich baroque style. “And though they are outsiders, they are bound by that”. So why does Fantastic Beasts feel so oddly lifeless?

But he has entered a world where the magical authorities are determined to keep witches and wizards separate from ordinary “No-Maj” society. That’s where the Boy Who Lived received his wizarding education. Unbeknownst to Newt, he is arriving to a city that has been under attack by some mystery force. He brings a magical suitcase holding his menagerie, and it will not entirely shock you to learn that some of them escape. Which makes plenty of sense when you think about it considering Luna was always fond of magical creatures and Rolf is the grandson of the most famous magizoologist of all time.

Eoin Wrixon, CEO of Wide Eye Media, said: “So far this year Bridget Jones has managed to conquer a box office top ten dominated by superheroes and family films”. And there’s undeniable talent in the supporting roles – Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Carmen Ejogo – though as yet no character as distinctive as, say, Snape or McGonagall. I overall dig the character (and I usually like Eddie as an actor), but Redmayne’s accent coupled with what seemed like a chaw of tobacco under his lip while talking about mythical creatures with made-up names made him nearly undecipherable to me.

Forced love interests. In the Harry Potter series, we don’t get romantic relationships between main characters until several books in, and even then it’s not really that important.

Without committing to signing up for all five films, he said as an actor “you dream of telling stories and JK Rowling is one of the greatest storytellers of our time”, so being “fully in her hands” would be “a pretty wonderful place to be”.