Following the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them over the weekend, J.K. Rowling took to Twitter, as she so often does, to answer fan questions about the film and the franchise ahead. The author held a Q&A on Monday in which she addressed some of the most pressing queries, including why Fantastic Beasts has been expanded from three movies to five. Rowling explained that “there’s just too much story” to cram into three movies—in part, because the series will span almost two decades.
That means the franchise’s end coincides with the end of World War II, which suggests that there’s merit to one widely held fan theory—that Grindelwald, the series’ baddie played by Johnny Depp, is essentially wizard-Hitler. Of course, we already know the outcome of that particular battle, since the Harry Potter books tell us Dumbledore ultimately defeats Grindelwald. Making a Harry Potter movie set during an era that gave rise to fascism in Europe feels just a little too timely for us to escape into Rowling’s world and forget our troubles. But, hey, maybe that’s exactly why we need it.
Elsewhere in the Q&A, Rowling confirmed that Newt Scamander is indeed a Hufflepuff, as his scarf suggests, and that Frank the Thunderbird arrived safely in Arizona. Breathe easily, Frank fans.
