Fantastic Beasts 2: Eddie Redmayne Teases Sequel Title

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them seems to forget we need more than curious critters to maintain our investment. Is J.K. Rowling’s team trying too hard?

Set in 1926, Fantastic Beasts takes place across the pond from Hogwarts as Newt Scamander arrives in NY (in a pretty Titanic-looking) boat, carrying a mysterious suitcase which houses – you guessed it – magical creatures.

Whatever goes into the last four Fantastic Beasts films, Redmayne said they will be titled with the same “and the” subtitle as the Harry Potter films, in a separate group interview at the Apple Store days earlier.

Well, J.K. Rowling penning the screenplay soon changed that assumption as did the hiring of veteran Harry Potter director David Yates, and the reviews for the movie have been great. It is directed by David Yates and stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander a magizoologist and the clumsy hero of the story.

The “Harry Potter” spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” had impressive Thursday preview screenings, taking in .7 million. This is not a Harry Potter movie. In the case of Credence, who’s a teenager, his obscurus is able to ravage New York City.

I probably wouldn’t be especially persuaded of this “theory” myself, except for one minor detail: The film’s final scene features neither Newt nor his beasts, but instead finds Queenie paying Jacob a visit in his new bakery.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, and I am, you will love this film. But when the sub-plot starts to emerge – something much darker that nods to the history of the series – the film begins the shine. This is to be the first of five films, and there’s a cameo by Johnny Depp at the very end that sets up the next one. However, some of Scamander’s creatures that are illegal in the United States escape at a crucial time when the Magical Congress of the US is probing acts of dark forces across the country.

Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol share a budding romance in the flick, and for them, being in “Fantastic Beasts” was like every holiday wish come true.

Spoilers ahead for Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

Harry Potter fans. I repeat.