Fantastic Beasts 2 is almost out in theatres, meaning we will finally get to see which version of Grindelwald J.K. Rowling decided to use from Harry Potter.
Grindelwald is the big bad of the Fantastic Beasts series. That was clear from the very first movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and now that we know we’re going through the First Wizard War, the movies will need to decide which version of the character they’re going to follow.
There are two versions: Book Grindelwald and Harry Potter Movie Grindelwald. Technically, there are three right now with the Fantastic Beast Grindelwald, but we can ignore the first movie for the time being. This is the point that the character will be fleshed out fully, showing us the way he will be adapted.
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We’ve seen Grindelwald in the Harry Potter books and the movies. At the end of both, Voldemort pays Grindelwald a visit, needing to know the location of the Elder Wand. And this is where the versions change. In the movies, Grindelwald was more than happy to help the Dark Lord, but in the books, he wasn’t. In the movies, Voldemort left the prisoner alive and in the books, Voldemort killed him.
It’s easy to see why these two characters were different. Nobody likely thought there would be a prequel series a decade later. Who knew that Fantastic Beasts would become a thing. And who knew that J.K. Rowling would end up writing the scripts, making the definite canon in the magical world?
Connecting to the books or the movies?
Because Rowling is writing the scripts, it’s clear that the Fantastic Beasts movies are supposed to connect to the books. But then you have David Yates as a director and all the cinematography and wand working that makes the movies connect to the Harry Potter movies.
Continuity becomes an issue. There are other smaller areas as well — and we’ve already looked at the use of a certain teacher from Hogwarts in the second movie — but Grindelwald is going to be the big problem.
One of the biggest issues going is the time period of Harry’s story. The books are set in the 90s and the movies in the 00s. Does that mean Grindelwald and the other adults are a decade older in the movies? That’s not been explicitly stated, suggesting that there are two versions of the characters.
So, which one is Gellert Grindelwald?
Maybe we’re overthinking things. Movies really should be there to be enjoyed first and foremost. But this is fandom, and like Star Wars, Potterheads are a passionate bunch. We need continuity and that means some issues when it comes to where the Fantastic Beasts movies actually connect.
Which Grindelwald is Johnny Depp’s in the movies? Do the Fantastic Beasts movies connect to the Harry Potter books or the movies? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is out on Nov. 16, 2018.