Dan Fogler Teases “Fantastic Beasts” 3 Amid Filming Delays

by · March 31, 2020

With all film production stopped thanks to a global quarantine, fans of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will have to wait even longer for the release of the third movie in the series. Thankfully, our favorite No-Maj, Dan Fogler, who plays Jacob Kowalski in the films, is here to reassure us that production will resume as soon as it’s safe. He also revealed a few juicy details about the newest installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise:

I can say I read the script, and the character development is really lovely, and it’s very similar to the feel of the first movie, which I think is great. It’s leading toward this massive war with the backdrop of World War II, so you can just imagine epic battle scenes are coming.

We know the final confrontation between Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) takes place during World War II, so the next three films in the five-part series have a lot of ground to cover. Fogler’s character, Jacob, certainly has a lot to learn in that time – he’s still new to the wizarding world, and he’s dealing with intense magical conflict. Fogler says he can’t wait to get back into character as this baker with a heart of gold:

I love that character so much, man. It’s just great to be able to do franchises where you have sequels, or even The Walking Dead, where you get to keep on coming back for different seasons and the character grows. I get to come back, and I get to play Jacob as if he has grown and been affected by the last two movies. For an actor, that’s just priceless. […] When I get into the costume, I feel like I’m playing a relative. Any time I get to come back and play the character, it’s almost like Doctor Frankenstein. ‘It’s alive!’ There’s such a pleasure to be like, ‘Oh, my creation is back again!’

Fogler mentioned that having Jacob’s mustache helps him get into character, as well as lots of music from the 1920s and 1930s that he associates with both the era and with Jacob himself:

You can find the song that just sums up everything, that will just speak to you, and it will just put you in the right place you need to be for the scene. A lot of songs [are] about heartbreak, and that’s at the center of Jacob and Queenie’s relationship.

This third installment is centered around Castelobruxo, the Brazilian wizarding school. We’ll be seeing some familiar faces join Newt and Jacob in their adventures, including Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), and Eulalie Hicks (Jessica Williams). J.K. Rowling is joined by cowriter Steve Kloves to tell this harrowing story directed by David Yates.

Principal photography for the still-unnamed Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3, which was supposed to begin last week, is still postponed indefinitely, but as of now, the film is still set for a November 12, 2021, release.