Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them brought Newt Scamander across the Atlantic to New York City, the first time the Harry Potter franchise showed us magical life in America. The British-born magizoologist and his friends then traveled back to Europe in The Crimes of Grindelwald, letting us explore the wizarding world of Paris, France. Now we know which never-before-seen magical place the next movie will visit. Wizards, witches, and jolly bakers named Jacob alike will be taking the battle against Gellert Grindelwald to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, home to one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of magic in the world, one that might be getting a visit from a famous American professor.
, the official Harry Potter site that replaced Pottermore, announced Fantastic Beasts 3 has been officially greenlit, “with production confirmed to start in Spring 2020.” That was never really in question, even if the second (of five) films in the franchise received subpar reviews. But now we know the movie’s long rumored location of Brazil is official, something J.K. Rowling herself teased last year. While we don’t yet know the exact year of the film’s setting, Rowling’s tweet indicates it will be during the 1930s. The main cast of Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore), Johnny Depp (Gellert Grindelwald), Ezra Miller (Credence/Aurelius Dumbledore), Alison Sudol (Queenie Goldstein), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski), and Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein) will also be returning.
The other big news is that Jessica Williams, who was seen briefly in a book in The Crimes of Grindelwald offering advice and encouragement to Nicolas Flamel, “will have a bigger role in this film.” She plays Professor Eulalie ‘Lally’ Hicks, a professor at the American Hogwarts, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Rowling had also said previously that Lally would have a significant part in the third movie. We have our own theories on why the American educator will prove so important; confirmation the film is headed to Brazil makes it more likely we will see her at a different school than the one she normally teaches at.
Warner Bros.
Magical students from Brazil attend Castelobruxo, a school referenced in the Harry Potter novels. It is said to be as old as Hogwarts itself, and from what we know about it, it’s easy to see how Newt Scamander could find himself visiting it during dangerous times. From Wizarding World:
“Castelobruxo students wear bright green robes and are especially advanced in both Herbology and Magizoology; the school offers very popular exchange programmes for European students* who wish to study the magical flora and fauna of South America. Castelobruxo has produced a number of famous ex-students, including one of the world’s most famous potioneers, Libatius Borage (author of, among other works, Advanced Potion-Making, Asiatic Anti-Venoms and Have Yourself a Fiesta in a Bottle!), and João Coelho, Captain of the world-renowned Quidditch team the Tarapoto Tree- Skimmers.”
Since a lot of the Fantastic Beasts story mirrors the real history of World War II, it’s also worth noting Brazil was the only South American country to send troops to fight with the Allies. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Brazilian wizards also take arms in the global campaign against Grindelwald.
As for when we will see the film, which like the first two will be written by Rowling and directed by David Yates, that’s still a long way off. The still untitled movie comes to theaters November 12, 2021.
At least that gives us all plenty of time to learn how to say “expelliarmus” in Portuguese.
Featured Image: Warner Bros
