Does It Really Have to Be You, Newt?

As fans across the globe squeal, squirm, and shake with excitement at the trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, I found myself thinking, “Not again, Dumbledore, not again!”

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At 1:29 in the trailer, Dumbledore states, “I can’t move against Grindelwald. It has to be you.” My exact reaction was “WHAT?!” but is this reminding anyone else of the way that Dumbledore treated our other hero, Harry Potter? And why, oh why, oh why, does it have to be Newt?

I keep having to remind myself that this is young Dumbledore, a less powerful and less knowledgeable man than the Headmaster we see in the Potter films. But this actually concerns me more! We expect Dumbledore to have an ulterior motive, and I think every fan has been expecting him to pull a trick like this, but I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting him to pull this move on Newt. Dumbledore is creating some kind of fighting force against Grindelwald and has obviously given Newt orders to chase something, but is this one of his good guesses and just how far does he expect Newt to go for the cause?

I am slightly disappointed in that I was fully expecting this to be Dumbledore’s moment, his origin story, if you will. And as much as I am delighted to have a Newt-heavy plot, just what is Dumbledore up to and whose life is he going to risk to get what he wants this time around?

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This could suggest that this winning formula created by Dumbledore and Newt working together encouraged his approach to the Chosen One, so I’m hopeful that this is a storyline that won’t end in a train (or metro) station as before. It’s clear that Dumbledore and Newt have a strong bond, but just how far is Dumbledore going to push this relationship?

It does raise the question, why does such a powerful wizard as Dumbledore rely on the magical skills of a previously expelled student and a teenager to battle out his demons? The following sequence in the trailer shows how powerful a wizard Newt is, but who is that with Newt? Is that Theseus Scamander alongside him? In which case, could the power of the two brothers working together be one of Dumbledore’s secret weapons against Grindelwald?

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Now, we need to talk DumbLAWdore (thanks, Ariel, from our SpeakBeasty podcast for that gem!)! The chemistry, the twinkle, the humor is SPOT ON! This is our first look at Jude Law as Dumbledore in action and it does not disappoint. There is most definitely the look that he is hiding something and playing with the world in his hands.

What are your thoughts on Dumbledore and Newt in the teaser trailer? Share below!