With an HBO Harry Potter series on the way, debate continues over what new stories the Wizarding World could tell. One proposal is to return to an existing prequel: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, continuing the story in books rather than films.
The film series was planned to span five movies, but its story remains unfinished. The first installment centered on Newt Scamander and his magical creatures, while the later films gave more attention to Albus Dumbledore’s conflict with Gellert Grindelwald and the character Credence. The competing plotlines, the source argues, left the overarching narrative feeling divided.
The movies also faced production and publicity difficulties. Johnny Depp was replaced as Grindelwald for the third film, and the source points to Ezra Miller’s reputation and pandemic-related production delays as further challenges. Box Office Mojo figures cited in the article put the third film’s worldwide gross at $407 million, compared with $816 million for the first.
Despite those problems, the prequel introduced settings and characters that could support more stories. Its exploration of the Wizarding World beyond Britain, including America and China in the 1920s, offered a new backdrop. The article also highlights the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, as well as Newt, Jacob Kowalski and the magical creatures at the center of the first film.
Continuing the saga in book form could avoid the expense and casting issues associated with another film production, while allowing more space to develop both Newt’s and Dumbledore’s storylines. A dual perspective could keep the characters’ plots connected; the books could also shift toward Dumbledore’s viewpoint and focus on his history with Grindelwald.
The central appeal of the proposal is that the prequel’s story already has a foundation, but not its planned conclusion: the climactic conflict between Dumbledore and Grindelwald that the five-film series was intended to reach.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.