How Fantastic Beasts' Biggest Mistake Led to the Franchise's Downfall

As a continuation of the ‘Harry Potter’ series, the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movies were intended to broaden the Wizarding World. J.K. Rowling originally intended the series to be a five-film trilogy that would tell the tale of Gellert Grindelwald, the next big bad guy after Voldemort. ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, the first instalment, was a critical and financial triumph, earning over $800 million worldwide. It was directed by David Yates, a veteran of the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, and starred Eddie Redmayne. However, the franchise was derailed by the sequels' declining box office receipts and unfavourable reviews, in addition to behind-the-scenes disputes.

Connecting Grindelwald's tale to ‘Fantastic Beasts’ was one of the franchise's worst errors. The first movie, which centred on Newt Scamander's capture of magical creatures in New York, was a fascinating stand-alone adventure. But as Grindelwald's plot progressed, it eclipsed Newt's, causing a change in tone that turned viewers off. Since Albus Dumbledore, not Newt, was Grindelwald's real equivalent, his inclusion felt improvised. The series felt fragmented and unfocused as a result of Newt's absence due to this misalignment.

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The problem was made worse by casting disputes. After the first movie, Johnny Depp replaced Colin Farrell as Grindelwald, although he faced criticism because of his legal issues with his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Mads Mikkelsen took Depp's place in the third instalment, although the repeated recasting lessened Grindelwald's impact. The franchise's reputation was further damaged by disputes involving Ezra Miller and Rowling's public remarks.

The ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movies did not justify the expansion of Grindelwald's plot within Newt's storyline. Even while Grindelwald makes an interesting antagonist, his plot might have worked better in a stand-alone series that concentrated on his bond with Dumbledore. Instead, what could have been a brilliant expansion of the Wizarding World was ruined by the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movie identity dilemma. Warner Bros. decided to relaunch ‘Harry Potter’ for HBO after the series' failure, forgoing the possibility of fresh stories in the magical world.

–Farheen Ali