Proving that the ongoing Harry Potter prequel saga will be a globe-trotting affair, Warner Bros. has confirmed that each of the five Fantastic Beasts movies will take place in a different city.
Word comes by way of Entertainment Weekly, who spoke to director David Yates about The Crimes of Grindelwald…and beyond. Truth be told, the fantastical sequel has come under fire recently due to its decision to stand by Johnny Depp, who clinched the coveted role of Gellert Grindelwald despite allegations of domestic abuse.
David Yates, J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe, and even Amber Heard have all chimed in with their at times conflicting thoughts, but the reality of the situation is that Depp will likely remain a fixture of the Fantastic Beasts franchise from this point on, even as Warner’s spinoff series begins to expand into different territories. New York and Paris have already been scratched off the map thanks to Fantastic Beasts and its imminent follow-up, so where to next? That’s a mystery, but Yates told EW that this is ultimately a “global story.”
Jo’s already told us where the next one is taking place. It’s very exciting. This is a global story, ultimately. And given that there’s a global audience for this, it’s all the more delightful to take the story to different parts of the world.
Germany has already been earmarked as a possible candidate, given J.K. Rowling’s magical series unfurls in the early 1920s and therefore in between the two World Wars.
The Crimes of Grindelwald, meanwhile, takes place almost exclusively in Paris, as David Heyman revealed in a previous interview:
We delve deeper into [J.K. Rowling’s] wizarding world — we’re in Paris, we’re in London and New York — the world is expanding. As you can tell from the [cast photo], we’re following quite a few characters. The new film has a very different feel than the first. It’s got a thriller quality. And it’s also a story about love and passion and all its forms — paternal, romantic, political. And it’s just a thrilling and very fun adventure. We took all we’ve learned from one and just expanded that and created a richer, deeper and more thrilling film which I’m excited to be a part of.
A great Parisian adventure is afoot, then, but Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is merely the second part of a five-film story. And it’s one that will continue on November 18th.