The 5 most amazing things we learned at the Fantastic Beasts fan event

By Chris Edwards

J.K. Rowling has given fans of the Wizarding World plenty of reasons to be excited about ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’.

During the Warner Bros. global fan event on Thursday, the best-selling ‘Harry Potter’ author delivered some major news regarding character appearances and the future of the franchise. They even showed the first ten minutes of the film, and the cinema full of wand-wielding fanatics could barely contain themselves as surprises were reeled off one after another.

Here are some of the most exciting ones.

1. Fantastic Beasts will be a five-film franchise

That’s right. Five. Despite initial thoughts that it would be a trilogy, Rowling has now stated that there will be five ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films.

The news even came as a surprise to the cast members, including Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler, who were visibly shocked.

“I’ve now done the plotting properly, so we’re pretty sure it’s going to be five movies,” said Rowling. “We always knew that there would be more than one.”

2. The second film will be set in another global capital city

Also present was director David Yates, who confirmed that the sequel to ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (already scheduled for release in 2018) will see Newt Scamander (Redmayne) travel to a different major city.

Fantastic Beasts set visit report
Fantastic Beasts character posters
Watch: JK Rowling visits Fantastic Beasts set

With the UK and now the US already ticked off, maybe we’ll be off to Norway to meet Norberta the dragon’s parents or something.

3. A young Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald make appearances in the film

Being set in 1926 New York, many may be wondering how the events in Fantastic Beasts are linked to the original Harry Potter films, or if they’re connected at all.

Well, in a reveal that encouraged a room full of excited whoops, Yates confirmed that Dumbledore appears in a “wonderful scene” with Colin Farrell and Eddie Redmayne. Grindelwald, meanwhile, features in the background, but will become a more prominent part of the story as it moves forward.

4. J.K. Rowling has already written the script for a sequel

The first film isn’t even out yet, but that doesn’t stop fans snooping around for juicy bits of information regarding a sequel.

Well, they’ll be pleased to know that Rowling has already finished the script for the second film, and according to Yates, it’s just as magical as the first, but very different.

5. The beginning of the film is darker and there’s a lot to establish

To top the event off, they showed the first ten minutes of the film and it immediately established a darker, grittier tone than the original franchise.

Right from the beginning it’s clear to see the huge scale of story they’re building and why it’s necessary to spread it over numerous sequels. We meet Newt Scamander, Percival Graves (Farrell), Porptentina Goldstein (Waterston), Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) and Jacob Kowalksi (Dan Fogler) all in quick succession.

It’s a lot to get through, but it gives us an idea of how their paths intertwine and begin to shape the latest Wizarding World saga.

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’ is coming to cinemas on 18 November.