We reckon Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald should be renamed Last Tarantallegra in Paris since it has been confirmed that the new film will take place “almost entirely” in the French city of love.
EW asked producer David Heyman to clarify once and for all where the film would be set, after scenes were shot in New York and London as well as Paris.
“We delve deeper into wizarding world — we’re in Paris, we’re in London and New York — the world is expanding,” Heyman said.
We know very little about the wizarding world beyond the UK, with the first Fantastic Beasts formally introducing us to wizarding life across the Atlantic. The most we know of European magic comes from the brief appearances of schools Beauxbatons and Durmstrang in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
But really, other than that, this is our first foray into the bigger picture of wizarding politics. Could we see a League of Nations-style forum? Will the American MACUSA join forces with the UK’s Ministry to combat the rising threat of Grindelwald?
In any case, as EW points out, we’re likely to see some Beauxbatons graduates in the film, and Durmstrang can hardly be overlooked given Grindelwald’s attendance there.
Love and other thrills
Heyman also said that the film would take on a “thriller” style, but it would also be about “love and passion in all its forms” — fitting given that Paris is one of the most romantic cities in the world. But who will be at the center of this love story?
We know, from the actual book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, that Newt Scamander marries (Porpen)Tina so will we see more of their relationship blossoming? Or will the story delve further into the lost love story of Newt and Leta Lestrange, who is now gut-wrenchingly engaged to his brother?
Leta the strange one?
Leta Lestrange’s presence will hopefully go beyond that of love interest and her surname is but one of the French references in the original series (Voldemort’s name being another). Does this mean that we might get a little background on the Lestrange family and their heritage?
We’re speculating wildly here, but maybe we’ll meet Leta and Newt’s brother Theseus in Paris, enjoying Leta’s status as French wizarding nobility on her father’s side? After all, France means something to purebloods; you only have to look at the Black family motto (Toujours Pur) to see that.
Who knows?
But one thing seems certain. With Grindelwald’s rise to power mirroring that of Adolf Hitler’s, setting the film in Europe in the late 1920s should be a fascinating way to start walking the “thriller” path Heyman alludes to.
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And knowing things don’t end well with Newt and Leta, there’s at least a chance they’ll always have Paris.