‘Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald’ Releases New Stills

Fans should start preparing to return to the Wizarding World as next month will see the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

The second film in J.K. Rowling‘s new franchise will focus on the biggest villain since Voldemort, with Johnny Depp playing the mysterious foe of Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore.

Warner Bros. Pictures is starting to reveal more about the secrets of the film, offering us mere muggles looks with a series of new photos which include some new and returning faces for the sequel.

Newt actor Eddie Redmayne has expressed excitement for the new movie to come out during a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“The script is labyrinthian,” Redmayne said. “It’s like you’re going down this maze and Jo is weaving the stories together with such intricacy. Along the way these connections to Harry Potter and secrets are falling at your feet… There is one… I got to the end and my jaw dropped. There was one thing I didn’t see coming.”

Redmayne stopped short of spilling the beans, though he did provide an intriguing comparison.

“It reminds me a lot of The Empire Strikes Back,” he revealed. “The first movie is so positive. It’s sweet and lovely. But this time everybody is really put under fire. People are gonna see this like a 100 times just to get everything. They’re going to be going nuts that they have to wait for the next one.”

But the movie has not been without controversy, as many people criticized the inclusion of Johnny Depp after abuse allegations of his ex-wife Amber Heard came to light, as well as photos documenting her injuries and police reports detailing the fights.

Depp himself has denied the claims and finally spoke out about his casting in a recent interview, defending series creator and screenwriter J.K. Rowling for her support.

“I’ll be honest with you, I felt bad for J.K. having to field all these various feelings from people out there. I felt bad that she had to take that. But ultimately, there is real controversy. The fact remains I was falsely accused, which is why I’m suing the Sun newspaper for defamation for repeating false accusations,” Depp said to EW. “J.K. has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused, and that’s why she has publicly supported me. She doesn’t take things lightly. She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth. So that’s really it.”

Fans can see Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald when the film premieres in theaters on November 16th.