Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

by J. K. Rowling

In 1927, the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) is transferring the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) to Europe to be tried for his crimes. Grindelwald escapes, aided by MACUSA employee Abernathy (Kevin Guthrie).

Three months later in London, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is at the Ministry of Magic to appeal his international travel ban. While there, he runs into Leta Lestrange (Hogwarts classmate and the fiancée of his auror brother Theseus (Callum Turner). The ministry agree to grant Newt's request if he aids Theseus in locating Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) in Paris. Newt declines after learning he must work with the ruthless bounty hunter Gunnar Grimmson. Later, after being reprimanded by the Ministry for his recent actions, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) meets with Newt and is revealed to have indirectly sent him to America to release Frank the Thunderbird. Dumbledore requests that Newt travel to Paris and save Credence from Grindelwald and the Ministry; he believes he is Leta's long-lost half-brother, Corvus Lestrange.

Later, Newt is unexpectedly visited by his American friends Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol) and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). Jacob, a Muggle, has regained his memories that were erased in the previous film. Newt is disappointed that Queenie's sister Tina is not with them; Queenie tells him that Tina is seeing someone after reading in Spellbound magazine that Newt and Leta were engaged. Newt explains that Leta is marrying Theseus, not him. Newt deduces from Jacob's strange behaviour that Queenie enchanted him into eloping to circumvent MACUSA's marriage ban between wizards and non-magical humans. After Newt lifts the enchantment, Jacob refuses to marry Queenie, fearing the consequences she would face. Upset, Queenie leaves to find Tina. Newt and Jacob follow her to Paris where Tina is looking for Credence.

In Paris, Tina searches for Credence at the Circus Arcanus. Credence and a captive circus performer named Nagini escape after causing a distraction. While searching for Credence's birth mother, they locate a half-elf servant named Irma Dugard, who brought him to America for adoption. However, Grimmson, revealed to be a follower of Grindelwald, arrives and kills Irma. Meanwhile, Tina meets Yusuf Kama, who is also hunting Credence. Newt and Jacob follow Yusuf to Tina, only to find her being held hostage. Yusuf disarms Newt and imprisons him and Jacob along with her, explaining that he made an Unbreakable Vow to kill his half-brother, whom he believes to be Credence. Meanwhile, unable to find Tina, a distraught Queenie is found by a Grindelwald devotee and brought to him. Knowing Queenie's abilities, Grindelwald allows her to leave while manipulating her into joining him using her desire to marry Jacob.

Newt and Tina infiltrate the French Ministry of Magic for documents to confirm Credence's identity, but Leta and Theseus discover them. Newt and Tina reconcile after he explains he was never engaged to Leta. Their search for information about Credence leads them to the Lestrange family tomb, where they find Yusuf. He reveals that he is carrying out his father Mustafa's request to avenge his mother Laurena's death. She was kidnapped by Corvus Lestrange IV using the Imperius Curse, and later died giving birth to Yusuf's half-sister, Leta. Leta reveals that Credence cannot be Corvus as she unintentionally caused his death; while aboard a ship to America, Leta, unable to stand his constant crying, switched her baby brother with another infant (Credence) shortly before the ship sank. Corvus drowned while Credence survived.

The group follow a trail to a rally for Grindelwald's followers, where Queenie is among the attendants and Jacob is looking for her. There, Grindelwald shows images of a future global war, and rails against the laws prohibiting them from preventing such a tragedy. As Theseus and the Aurors surround the rally, Grindelwald prompts his followers to spread his message across Europe, and conjures a ring of blue fire that kills the retreating Aurors and that only his most loyal followers can safely cross. Queenie and Credence both cross the fire. Leta sacrifices herself to hold off Grindelwald so Newt, Tina, Jacob, Yusuf, Nagini, and Theseus can escape. As Grindelwald leaves, the remaining heroes unite alongside the immortal alchemist Nicolas Flamel to subdue and extinguish the fire. Newt realises he is now embroiled in a conflict with Grindelwald, and chooses to fight.

At Hogwarts, Newt presents Dumbledore with a vial stolen from Grindelwald, by his niffler. It contains a blood pact Grindelwald and Dumbledore made during their youth that prevents them dueling each other. Dumbledore believes it can be destroyed. At his base in Austria, Nurmengard, Grindelwald tells Credence that his true identity is Aurelius Dumbledore, Albus' long-lost brother, by presenting him a wand and narrating the legend saying that a phoenix will appear to any Dumbledore in time of need, which did come to Credence and then Grindelwald told that he, Credence, now Aurelius Dumbledore is the only person powerful enough to defeat him. Credence then does magic with his first wand.