Deadline.com in an “EXCLUSIVE” article not much longer than its title, ‘Fantastic Beasts 3′ Moving Forward With Spring 2020 Start, Jessica Williams’ ‘Lally’ Character To Play Pivotal Part In Brazil-Set Threequel, has told us what Warner Brothers wants us to know this week about the third film in their Fantastic Beasts franchise. The three high points of this press release are that the film will be set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that the Jessica Williams character, a professor at Ilvermorny, will have a larger role than she did in Crimes of Grindelwald, and that the film will start filming next year and be released on 12 November 2021.
All of which we knew. The Rio setting was made clear more than a year ago in a Rowling tweet and twitter header (above), the Williams professorial role announced in April 2018 couldn’t get any smaller in the third film, and the date was set six months ago. I think it is safe to say that this “EXCLUSIVE” report is only meant to remind us that this movie is in the making; the odds of our forgetting without these bimonthly refreshers, given the mess that was Crimes of Grindelwald and the two years between now and our ability to see the movie, are quite good.
There is news that is worthy of note just after the reassuring bit about the actors and actresses returning in their roles (all are there except Leda Lestrange which I expect is an absence to prevent the giveaway that was made early on in Crimes marketing with the announcement of Ezra Miller’s return). At the end of the fine print paragraph listing the nine Producers and Executive Producers, the attentive reader will note this throw-away line: “The screenplay will be written by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves.”
My hope is this announcement means that Rowling will be writing the story and that Kloves will turn that story into a screenplay and shooting script that David Yates won’t have to butcher “to fit the woman to the dress,” as Kloves called re-writing Rowling’s scripts so they conformed to Warner Brothers formula. We’ll know in two years if that is the case and whether or not it worked. If Rowling’s picture that was used as a cameo in a recent Letters to Europe article in The Guardian (left) is any sign, the process is not rejuvenating her.
Hat-tip to an anonymous friend ‘Over There’ for the Deadline.com story and for the unflattering cameo picture note. Please click on the ‘Leave a Comment’ button up by the post’s title and let me know what you think!
I’m hoping that we will get more information about the Goldstein sisters as Professor Hicks was likely one of their teachers. And…maybe we’ll get some background on their parents. I’m betting there is a story there.
Also, the big question is why Brazil? Paris wasn’t as big of a leap knowing France is just across the channel and we’re building up to WWII and a wizarding war. Which begs the question, who actually goes to Brazil – or rather – who leads the way for them all to go there? And why?!
Was Castelobruxo school (in central Brazil) in existence at that time? Oh well, never mind, except that Brazil was the only South American country that took part in WW2.
Imagine having a witchcraft school that specializes in Herbology (and Potions?) on the Allied side.
Brian – Oh, good point! I always knew Argentina was semi supportive of Hitler and Germany but didn’t know anything about Brazil’s involvement. Think what alchemists (Flamel) and potions professors (like Hicks) could do with Brazilian products in support of the Allues or wizards opposing Grindelwald. . Or what Beasts Newt could find to aid the efforts?
Brazil – and (do we know?) only Brazil? (Wow, was I out of touch – whatever happened to China?… or might there be more continents involved?)
Meanwhile, a delightful way to pass the time until 12 November 2021 might include (re)reading The Diary of Helena Morley by Alice Brant, translated and with an Introduction by Elizabeth Bishop, (NY: Farrar, Straus, and Cudahy, 1957) – and, do ‘we’ know if JKR knows it?
Hmm… mindful of Dr. Groves’ Python articles, I suddenly wonder if there will be appreciable play with Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985)?
The release date of FB3 has been pushed to Summer 2022. I hope there are movie theaters then. Also, there will be no Johnnie Depp. I want to see how that goes.