The first “Fantastic Beasts,” released two years ago to average reviews and a decent box office, is a largely forgotten addendum to the far more popular “Harry Potter” saga that preceded it. Now comes the trailer for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” which promises to bring the magic back to the saga. Hogwarts! Dumbledore! The Deathly Hallows! This trailer doubles down on references to the original boy wizard story, loudly proclaiming that if you weren’t on board with the seemingly disconnected first film, this one might still be for you. The one thing you won’t find much of in this trailer is the titular villain, Grindelwald. Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling have been mired in controversy for years now over the casting of alleged domestic abuser Johnny Depp in the role and this latest trailer, which features only a fleeting moment of Depp, is unlikely to convince anyone that those criticisms aren’t valid. That won’t matter to many though, and it’s doubtless that Warner Bros. simply hopes that those familiar musical notes at the end of the trailer do their job and get more butts in the seats. There’s set to be three more of these “Beasts” films over the next six to eight years, but the jury is still out on whether this new series of “Potter” films will be considered a worthy addition to the canon or a horribly expensive and misguided mistake.
