J.K. Rowling Shoots Down A Fantastic Beasts 2 Rumor

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is being released later this week, but Warner Bros and J.K. Rowling have already been working for months on where to take the Wizarding World prequel series next. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find to Find Them 2 is two years away, but already information has started coming out that paint a picture of what to expect, from the inclusion of Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald to taking the action to Paris, France. Now Rowling is setting the record straight about a rumor that stated Fantastic Beasts 2 will take place immediately after the first movie.

Last week, Snitch Seeker reported that Fantastic Beasts 2 would pick almost right where its predecessor left off, or at most, weeks later. The website learned this information from Stuart Craig, the Fantastic Beasts production designer. However, it looks like Craig was mistaken, as J.K. Rowling soon went on Twitter to debunk the rumor, which you can read below.

This isn't correct, I'm afraid! The sequel doesn't begin days after first movie ends (although we do go to Paris.) https://t.co/lkvIozKweU
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 13, 2016

So there you have it. When we reunite with Newt Scamander in 2018 for his second adventure, a little more time will have passed then just a few days or weeks. When will Fantastic Beasts 2 take place? That remains to be seen. However, last Friday, J.K. Rowling revealed that the five Fantastic Beasts movies span across 19 years. Since the first movie takes place in 1926, that means the series will conclude in 1945, a notable year for hardcore Harry Potter fans who have Albus Dumbledore's history memorized. Anyway, assuming that the Fantastic Beasts movies will be evenly spread out, that means Fantastic Beasts 2 could take place a few years after the first movie, perhaps in 1929 or 1930. Which begs the question: was the Wizarding community affected by the Great Depression?

Despite the recent revelations, plot details for Fantastic Beasts 2 are scarce. All we know at this point is that Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander will travel from the United Kingdom to France for unknown reasons. At some point, he'll presumably cross paths with the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp. Newt will also reunite with Albus Dumbledore, his former instructor at Hogwarts. Speaking of Dumbledore, casting is currently underway to find the actor who will play the younger wizard (although Rowling already has someone in mind), and since his old friend Grindelwald will be causing trouble in Europe, one can surmise we'll see their relationship explored to strengthen what was revealed in The Deathly Hallows. As for familiar faces, the only other actor confirmed to return for now besides Redmayne and Depp is Zoe Kravitz.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will work its magic in theaters this Friday, November 18, while the sequel will be released on November 16, 2018.