To Kenzie
Contents
Foreword
I’ve worked with many writers, but no one quite as special as Jo. She knows her characters and her universe inside out, she’s one of the most dynamic thinkers I’ve ever met, and for someone who has enjoyed so much success she is incredibly grounded. Her storytelling is singular, yet she approaches the filmmaking process as producer and screenwriter with a genuinely collaborative spirit.
I first read Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in the spring of 2016, a full year and two months before we began shooting the film. The script felt layered, emotional and that most precious of things: itself. For a filmmaker it offered many gifts and a huge sandpit in which to play. Whether the thrill of recreating Paris in the late 1920s, wrangling a new collection of wonderful beasts, or exploring an emotional, multi-stranded story with compelling characters and themes, each day of prep and production was always exciting as well as fun.
Above all, however, it was the characters that captured and beguiled me on that first read; they are timeless, enchanting, intriguing. All of them are being tested to their core, navigating a world that is becoming ever more complex and dangerous – a world that, however heightened and magical, in some ways echoes our own across time.
SCENE 1
AERIAL SHOT of New York and MACUSA building.
SCENE 2
The long-haired, bearded GRINDELWALD sits motionless, magically fixed to a chair. The air shimmers, charged with spells.
ABERNATHY peers in at GRINDELWALD from the corridor.
A baby Chupacabra – part lizard, part homunculus, a blood-sucking creature of the Americas – is chained to GRINDELWALD’S chair.
SCENE 3
PRESIDENT SERAPHINA PICQUERY and RUDOLPH SPIELMAN walk at pace towards an ominous-looking door, past endless pairs of guards.
SPIELMAN
(Germanic)
. . . you’ll be glad to be rid of him, I expect.
PICQUERY
We’d be more than happy to keep him here in custody.
SPIELMAN
Six months are enough. It’s time for him to answer for his crimes in Europe.
As they reach the door, ABERNATHY turns and acknowledges them.
ABERNATHY
President Picquery, Mr Spielman, sir. Prisoner is secured and ready to travel.
SPIELMAN and PICQUERY peer into the cell at GRINDELWALD.
SPIELMAN
You’ve thrown everything at him, I see.
PICQUERY
It was necessary. He’s extremely powerful. We’ve had to change his guard three times – he’s very . . . persuasive. So we removed his tongue.
SCENE 4
Cells resembling cages rise in tiers. Prisoners chant and bang against the bars as the bound GRINDELWALD is transported upstairs, suspended magically in mid-air.
PRISONERS
Grindelwald! Grindelwald!
SCENE 5
A hearse-like black carriage, drawn by eight Thestrals, waits. AURORS 1 & 2 climb into the driver’s seat, the rest force GRINDELWALD inside.
SPIELMAN
The wizarding community worldwide owes you a great debt, Madam President.
PICQUERY
Do not underestimate him.
ABERNATHY approaches them.
ABERNATHY
Mr Spielman, we found his wand hidden away.
He hands over a black rectangular box.
PICQUERY
Abernathy?
ABERNATHY
And we found this.
He holds a vial of some glowing gold substance in the palm of his hand. SPIELMAN reaches for the vial, which hangs on a chain, and – after a moment of hesitation – ABERNATHY releases it.
Inside the carriage, GRINDELWALD raises his eyes to the roof as the vial is passed to SPIELMAN.
SPIELMAN climbs into the carriage. AUROR 1 driving, AUROR 2 beside him. The door closes. A series of padlocks emerges from the carriage doors. An ominous drumroll of clicks as padlocks fasten themselves in place.
AUROR 1
Yah!
The Thestrals take off.
The carriage plummets then soars away through torrential rain. More AURORS follow on broomsticks.
A beat.
ABERNATHY steps forward, holding the Elder Wand. He looks up at the carriage, growing ever smaller. He Disapparates.
CUT TO:
SCENE 6
The underside of the carriage. ABERNATHY Apparates, clinging to the wheel shaft.
SCENE 7
SPIELMAN and GRINDELWALD sit, eyes locked, flanked by AURORS, all pointing their wands at GRINDELWALD. GRINDELWALD’S wand box lies on SPIELMAN’S lap.
SPIELMAN holds up the vial, dangling from its chain.
SPIELMAN
No