Official Trailer Plus Trailer Breakdown

The first official Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailer has just been released, which you can watch below:

The breakdown:

The trailer once again opens up with a shot of Hogwarts, both from a distance over hills and up close

A voice over starts here of Newt saying “I’m scared, Professor Dumbledore” & him replying “Everyone is scared of something”.

Is this voice over from the flashback scene of Newt almost getting expelled for Leta’s mistake? It doesn’t seem to fit with the footage it’s paired with of Newt facing his boggart, as that already has dialogue:

Also, as a quick note – is this our first look at a young Leta Lestrange? & is Sebastian, the boy who gets injured by Leta’s jarvey pictured here in class with them somewhere?

“Newt, you’re up next”

“That’s an unusual one. What Mr Scamander fears above everything else is…”

“Having to work in an office, sir”

Out of the flashbacks, we jump to Tina skulking around a magical female statue in Paris – is this perhaps a visitor entrance to the French Ministry of Magic (Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France)? Or is Tina the one making the statue magical for some reason?

Next up is a brief shot of the Maledictus entering the ring in the circus. It appears she may be the one Yusuf Kama is looking at in the trailer – it’s the same ring, if you notice the fire detail around the edges

We know there’s lots of actual magic happening at this circus, there are even miniature cauldrons being sold to muggles (for popcorn I’d imagine?), but just to note that we see Tina once again entering the circus too:

We next see Credence viewing a poster for the aforementioned circus arcanus – specifically of the Maledictus. This is likely how he initially hears about the wizarding circus in the first place – especially given it’s dated December 1926, three months before Crimes of Grindelwald is set

Newt & Dumbledore together, apparating from a bus to…

…a park, perhaps? You can just about make out Dumbledore using his deluminator & Newt right under the street lamp. Who are they hiding from, though? The Ministry? Further on we see that Theseus may be attempting to enlist Newt to help the Ministry themselves, so maybe he refuses & Dumbledore wants him to help with another mission?

We then jump back in time a few months to either Grindelwald’s arrest or his transfer to Europe from MACUSA for his trial. This is the inside of MACUSA’s prison, whether entering or leaving:

“Magic blooms only in rare souls. Still, we must skulk in the shadows. But the old ways serve us no longer.” Grindelwald delivers a powerful speech to his supporters in the mausoleum we saw him in in the first trailer

We next see the Maledictus facing the Eiffel Tower from a rooftop, in what seems to be the same scene from the first trailer of Credence showing his Obscurial abilities:

A black shroud appears to quickly envelope this Parisian street – is that a giant Lethifold? or some of Grindelwald’s magic? or, is it Credence’s obscurial magic from the scene above?

Either way, muggles don’t seem to be able to see it, but Tina sure does & while she’s stunned still, Newt goes to protect her

Also, Newt & Tina together in Paris? How did they meet? Where is Jacob?

“I take it you’ve heard the rumours. Grindelwald had a vision that he would rise to dominance in the wizarding world”

A vision that involves Credence, apparently..

A glimpse of Grindelwald’s top henchmen carrying coffins – Krall, Simon Meacock’s character and …. Abernathy! Looks like Tina & Queenie’s boss has some secrets…

But why are they carrying coffins? Are they looking for someone in particular? The person whose skull we see Rosier holding later on perhaps? Or is this for a more sinister reason? In Harry Potter 7 the Deathly Hallows we find out that Grindelwald wanted on of the hallows – the resurrection stone – in order to build an army of inferi. While that’s not how the stone works, maybe the idea of an army of the dead stuck with him..

And just in case you weren’t sure it was him – the next scene is of Abernathy inside the crypt with some more coffins (we’ll see this room again later)

A close-up of Rosier – who do you think she’s with?

We see Credence & the Maledictus together again – but why? She looks very protective over Credence here. Are they so close because they share a similar fate? They’re both cursed – she has a blood curse & is destined to turn into a snake and he, a time-bomb of dark magical energy. Will they try help each other to escape their fates?

Is this woman (Melusine) in the French Ministry a worker/guardian with those cat-like beasts? Or is she something more?

A Melusine in mythology is a fresh water spirit, usually depicted as either a serpent or fish from the waist down when touched by water – so does she have a bigger role to play?

And what are these new beasts?

“So you’re asking me to help hunt him down?”

This is Newt’s reply to the voice of Theseus in the first trailer telling him he must pick a side – it looks like he’s in his office inside the Ministry

The next scenes seem to be a little bit backwards so we’ll start with newt on Merion Street, grabbing a glove from mid-air & apparating

The glove seems to bring him to an alley looking up at St Paul’s Cathedral

And, if you look closely, you’ll see it pointing straight at Dumbledore on the roof, waving

Which leads us back to the scene we know of Newt apparating onto the rooftop with Dumbledore being told it must be him who goes after Grindelwald

“I can’t move against Grindelwald” – as we see Dumbledore look into the Mirror of Erised & see Grindelwald.

The question here is – is it Grindelwald himself that Dumbledore desires? Does he still have that first love yearning for him? Or is it perhaps he desires the power Grindelwald has acquired – something Dumbledore had a chance to but held back? Or maybe his deepest, most desperate desire is to know that it was Grindelwald and not himself that killed his sister Ariana the last time they saw each other

Here we see Dumbledore attempting to talk Newt into taking up his quest & giving him a card involved in it. The glowing mark is the alchemical symbol for gold – that which the philosopher’s stone turns any metal into – so can we assume that Newt’s quest (should he take it up) involves a trip to Nicholas Flamel first & this is the way to contact him?

A hat tip to Dumbledore’s reverse psychology in this scene:

Leta works her way through the crowd at a ball, all the while staring at a dancer…

…could that possibly be her mother, Laurena Kama? From the way Leta stares at her while the room stares at Leta, we feel something might be up, here? You’ll also see Theseus behind her seemingly with another woman

however, she’s gone in the next scene so perhaps Leta and Theseus are already together here? Or possibly this is even their engagement party?

Meanwhile, Newt is using his Niffler to distract… something in the streets of Paris

But this is no ordinary Parisian street – this is the French version of Diagon Alley, as you can see a Quidditch shop behind Newt. Is that the same bunting used in the wizarding circus?

We again see the scene of Newt travelling underwater by Kelpie

But this time it’s followed by his destination – the ‘space’ we see him in with Jacob in the first trailer. We also get a first look at his assistant Bunty who is ready with a dry coat for Newt

The question is – did Newt just travel from England this way? It seems like he’s inside his magical space here as the water doesn’t go past its boundaries – so perhaps he was just checking up on his beasts in this scene?

Remember that room we saw Abernathy in earlier? Jacob just entered it..

Is that Theseus at the front of Grindelwald’s followers in the graveyard? Is he a spy or has he been captured?

Inside the crypt where Grindewald hosts his meeting of followers, we again see Theseus

What are those blasts? It looks like people apparating out of the mausoleum? Is this the end of the meeting or is Grindewald losing supporters?

Note this room we see Grindelwald in for later (especially that orange paint design on the wall)

Next we see Leta in the French Ministry in front of hundreds of lock boxes. These are the same boxes we saw Tina & Newt in front of in a previously released movie still. Judging by her outfit, does she work there?

Leta, Newt & Tina all working together? A complicated relationship as Katherine said, indeed..

What’s so important that it’s locked inside the French ministry that Newt/Dumbledore needs? The philosopher’s stone?

During the final graveyard battle Tina comes to Jacob’s rescue – we wonder what happened him? He looks like he’s been through a lot

What is Queenie hearing as a legilimens? Initially we thought that black piece by her mouth was a piece of her dress sleeve but, what if it’s not? And…is that an engagement ring on her finger? She could hardly be engaged to Jacob only days after he recognises her again (unless they somehow fully restored his memories?) so, who else could she be engaged to? If she’s turned to Grindelwald’s side for Jacob, maybe she’s playing a role to get something from him?

Who has joined Newt, Theseus & Tina in the battle against Grindelwald? Could Abernathy have gone back to the good side? Or are more aurors on the scene?

A first look at the Oni from the wizarding circus – did he escape when Credence wreaked havoc there?

“You’re too good, Newt. You’ve never met a monster you couldn’t love.”

Is Leta being literal here or is she talking about herself? What did she do? Or is this perhaps a reference to her letting Newt take the blame in Hogwarts &, knowing Newt loved her, went on to get engaged to his brother? If you look at the room it seems to be circular with stone benches around – so perhaps this chat comes after the graveyard battle scene, towards the end of the movie?

While he hear Newt shout Credence’s name, what we see is Credence using his Obscurial powers to destroy an apartment with Grimmson inside who seems to be trapped in some form of magical aura bubble?

Remember that shot of Grindelwald earlier? It’s the same room we see Credence in here – has Credence been talked into helping Grindelwald again? Or is he being blackmailed somehow to keep him there? By the look of anger & him attempting to blow up Grimmson above, it looks like Credence is done helping Grindelwald

We then jump back again to Grindelwald’s escape where he seemed to, quite literally, take the reigns

If you notice, he has the elder wand again. Now, how did he manage to escape with four MACUSA aurors accompanying him & how did he get his wand back? The answer is in the next still where, if you look into the carriage window you’ll see… Abernathy! He clearly has inside help, then – including a change of clothes!

Grindelwald then does battle with the chasing aurors & hits them with bolts of lightening

Madam Picquery herself may be next

“Mr Scamander! Do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?”

Theseus was already in the room but how did Newt get there? & it looks like this is after a lot of the people at the meeting have disapparated

We then get to see a front-view of the orb-like object we see Rosier holding in the first trailer. It is not, in fact, a prophecy, but a glowing skull