The Wizarding World’s expansion in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is gonna be filled to the rafters with sociopolitical ruminations and a ton of absolutely adorable creatures. With a TARDIS-esque suitcase and a penchant for overcoming the impossibleâand loving all people, no-maj or otherwiseâwill Newt Scamander become our new favorite wizarding hero?
In a new featurette about the film, writer/producer J.K. Rowling stated the purpose of the film is largely about upending the status quo. “My heroes are always people who feel themselves to be set apart, stigmatized, or others. That’s at the heart of most of what I write, and it’s certainly at the heart of this movie.” This is evidence in the iteration that highlights America’s more backwards laws about who magical and non-magical people can interact, date, and even be friends withâsound, uh, like an allegory to anyone else?
And, like so many of us, Newt (Eddie Redmayne) “feels more at home with creatures than he does with human beings,” meaning we’re surely in for an adorably charming moment or two between Newt and an ashwinder? Maybe a proverbial meeting of the minds with a billywig? What about a sleepy meetcute between Newt and a family of flobberworms? ONE CAN ONLY HOPE.
The featurette also gives us some never-before-seen footage from the film, which comes out on November 18, 2016. Obviously we’re looking forward to it â are you? Let us know in the comments below.
Images: Warner Bros.
Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor of Nerdist, creator/co-host of Fangirling, and a total Ravenclaw. Find her on Twitter.