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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

The Original Screenplay
FantasyPlays
Pages
287
Published
2018
Language
English

Synopsis

Following his escape from MACUSA custody, Gellert Grindelwald — the most dangerous dark wizard alive — begins assembling a following in Europe, promising wizards their rightful place of dominance over the non-magical world. The screenplay of the second Fantastic Beasts film picks up shortly after the events of the first, with Newt Scamander drawn back into the conflict he tried to avoid, and a young Albus Dumbledore unable to move against Grindelwald directly — bound by an old, unbreakable magical pact.

The story moves from New York to London and Paris, expanding the Wizarding World's European geography and introducing new characters connected to both Newt and Credence Barebone, whose true identity and its implications for the war ahead are the screenplay's central twist.

Published in November 2018 to coincide with the film's release, The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second instalment in the Fantastic Beasts series of screenplays and builds the political and personal stakes of the conflict between Dumbledore and Grindelwald that will eventually culminate in their legendary 1945 duel — an event referenced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone but never before depicted.

Prose complexity
5/10

Vibe

DarkTenseAdventurousAtmospheric
Reluctant HeroQuestBetrayalSacrificeMentor FigureForbidden Love

Genres

Fantasy Plays Young Adult Drama

About the author

J
J. K. Rowling

Born on 31 July 1965 in Yate, near Bristol, England, Joanne Rowling published her first novel under the initials J.K. at her publisher's suggestion — the K borrowed from her grandmother Kathleen to create a gender-neutral pen name. Before her writing career, she worked as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International in London and later as an English teacher in Oporto, Portugal. She conceived the idea for Harry Potter on a delayed train journey from Manchester to London in 1990...

Characters

Newt ScamanderProtagonist

Reluctantly drawn back into the conflict, Newt must choose between neutrality and action as Grindelwald's movement grows.

Gellert GrindelwaldAntagonist

Now operating openly in Europe, recruiting followers with a vision of wizarding supremacy that is seductive precisely because it contains elements of genuine grievance.

Albus DumbledoreSupporting

A young Hogwarts professor unable to move openly against his former friend Grindelwald — the nature of his reluctance is hinted at but not yet fully explained.

Jacob KowalskiSupporting

Returning from New York with his memories of the magical world restored, Jacob's loyalty to Newt and his feelings for Queenie put him at the heart of the film's personal stakes.

Tina GoldsteinSupporting

Now a senior MACUSA investigator tracking Grindelwald, whose professional success is complicated by the personal tensions of the first film's unresolved relationships.

All characters in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need to see the first Fantastic Beasts before reading this?

    Yes — The Crimes of Grindelwald continues directly from the events of the first screenplay and assumes familiarity with the main characters, their relationships, and the significance of the obscurus plotline. New readers would miss significant context for Credence's situation, the Goldstein sisters, and Newt's reluctance to become involved in the conflict.

  • Why can't Dumbledore fight Grindelwald directly?

    The screenplay reveals that Dumbledore and Grindelwald made a blood pact — a magical bond that prevents either from moving against the other directly. The nature of their earlier relationship, and the full circumstances of the pact, are dealt with more completely in subsequent instalments.

  • What is "The Crimes of Grindelwald" referring to?

    The title refers to the escalating acts of violence and manipulation attributed to Grindelwald as he builds his movement across Europe — including killings, the assembly of a private army, and his manipulation of vulnerable people such as Credence. The screenplay is structured as a record of his actions in this period rather than a single contained crime.

  • How does the ending connect to the later Harry Potter books?
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