“SpeakBeasty” Episode 164: “I Like Men Who Can Do Math”

On this episode of SpeakBeasty, our hosts are diving into the next few scenes in the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore film and screenplay, which, naturally, leads to conversations about everything from men who do math to sherbet lemon vapes. Get ready – it’s a wild ride!

Hosts Ann, Amy, Shannen, and Liz take a look at scenes 37 through 41 of the published screenplay of Secrets of Dumbledore. These scenes take place at Nurmengard and the German Ministry of Magic. While looking through the text and the visuals of the film, our hosts discuss the prevalence of reflections in the film and how they’re used to show Grindelwald’s visions.

Feeding off of that conversation, this episode’s “Time-Turner” takes a look at the mysticism and lore surrounding mirrors and reflections throughout history. From talking to the dead to predicting the future, mirrors have been at the center of legends and divination practices for thousands of years. 

Of course, our hosts also discuss the much-quoted report of Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav saying there are no Wizarding World films “in active development” and what that might mean for the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Our hosts agree there’s no need to panic just yet. We already knew there would be a longer break between Films 3 and 4. If the fourth film does not come to fruition, we would hope Warner Bros. would make a better announcement than this open-ended quote. 

This week’s podcast question is “Who would you like to see as ‘the new face’ of the Wizarding World branch of WB?” Send us your thoughts and theories at SpeakBeasty@gmail.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

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