Though not a gift from Dumbledore, Yusuf Kama secretly carries a brooch containing a picture of his half-sister, Leta Lestrange, which actor William Nadylam used as an inspiration throughout filming. The brooch was inspire by a Victorian piece found by Colleen Atwood. 'You don't see it that much,' sys Atwood. 'but for him it's a memento from his life.'
Fantastic Beasts －The Secrets of Dumbledore: Movie Magic
William Nadylam: He's going to help defend the world from Grindelwald's action, and eventually, obviously, he doesn't forget. That's another subject there. He doesn't forget.
Did you know there are more wizarding modes of travel in Europe beyond the Hogwarts Express and the Knight Bus? Neither did SYFY WIRE until
"If there’s one constant in the Wizarding World that we’ve seen onscreen — in addition to the fascinating beasts, spectacular magic, and breathtaking challenges to our heroes, of course — it’s the calling Albus Dumbledore has to protect both the magical and non-magical communities in his sphere of influence," author Jody Revenson tells SYFY WIRE. "But Dumbledore’s quite an enigma, isn’t he? We still haven’t figured him out. He’s sad and funny; strong and insecure; suspicious and sentimental. And, as actor Jude Law says about his character in this film, he’s making life-changing decisions that will lead him to become the headmaster we’ll know in the future, while at the same time confronting his past. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore gives fans (like me) an incredible opportunity to gain new and surprising insights into a character we thought we already knew."
Jude Law explains that the man we grew to love through the Harry Potter films is not fully formed yet. "So what we're seeing is an Albus going through big emotional situations and making life-changing decisions. These lead him to become the headmaster we see in later years. But to become that learned and wise costs. We're seeing him confronting old friends, old foes, and also confronting himself."
"Dumbledore assembles a team in an effort to defeat Grindelwald’s bid for power, consisting of Newt and Theseus Scamander; Newt’s assistant, Bunty; Jacob Kowalski; and Lally Hicks, the Charms professor from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States," Revenson explains. "The group gathers together on the Great Wizarding Express, a magical train that appears shabby on the outside, but inside, it’s decorated in the height of Art Deco opulence. Graphic designers Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima created the logo of the Great Wizarding Express, then translated it into the ephemera associated with train travel, including tickets and an onboard magazine — once again so subtly expanding the wizarding culture. And it just couldn’t be a wizarding train without a trolley. This one offers coffees, teas, and perhaps something a little stronger for the adult wizards."
How come we've never heard about this locomotive, which just so happens to be connected to the Floo Network, until now? Did it eventually go out of business once the Knight Bus came along? We need answers!
What's pretty cool about The Great Wizarding Express, though is that it's connected to the Floo Network (an interconnected series of fireplaces that allow wizards and witches to instantly move between locations). As The Rowling Library pointed out on Twitter, this seems to imply that the Floo Network is not only international, but can also be connected to a place that is constantly on the move.
Although Potterheads have learned a great deal about Ilvermorny (the American school of witchcraft and wizardry) through online resources like Pottermore, they haven't really seen the place represented onscreen. Luckily, the third movie will change all that by bumping up Professor Eulalie "Lally" Hicks (Jessica Williams) to a major player in the story. Not only does she teach at Ilvermorny, but, like the monster-loving Hagrid, she is also the Keeper of the Keys.
"[She] was seen very briefly in the previous Fantastic Beasts film, but becomes an important part of Dumbledore’s plan to stop Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," Revenson teases. "She’s funny and dedicated and smart and intuitive — just like the actress who plays her, Jessica Williams. But I think the main reason I like Lally is because she writes books! And she’s got a very cool wardrobe."
New Yorker Eulalie Hicks discovered that she was magical at a young age and attended Ilvermorny, as did Tina and Queenie Goldstein. "I think she straddles the line between living in the magical world, but she does come from the [No-Maj] world," says Jessica. "She has a great sense of humor and I think with her, she's always walking on the forward foot, so she has a bit independece about her, which I really love."
As Lally is an educator, Colleen Atwood wanted to present her in a businesslike way. "She's a witch with a lot of authority, "says Colleen. "I choose a warm carmine color on her ,which suited her, and it telegraphed a certain level of authority. I used a tiny little paint that was remotely African-inspired for her shirt, and we added a key chain, because she's the Keeper of the Key for the school.
"Newt's relationship with Lally was really fun to play because she has also written a book that people really love, and they bond over that and their respect for knowledge. She sees the value of what it is Newt does and she sees his heart. I think Eulalie's really good at seeing the heart of people."
"Theseus and Lally are opposites. Theseus is very by the book. He's an Auror, he's stern. Eulalie is very sly, witty, a jokester. She's a teacher who uses humour to teach the kids. They're completely different but they find themselves paired together, so they're learning the balance of how to work with each other."
Over on the dark side, Grindelwald has amassed quite the devoted acolytes, cultivating an inner circle of confidants who will follow his orders without a moment's hesitation. One of his fresh-faced recruits is Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), who decided to throw in her lot with the villains due to the MACUSA's law against magic folk becoming romantically involved with members of the No-Maj community. Queenie — who was and continues to be in love with Jacob — is in for quite the rude awakening when she learns that Grindelwald wants to rule all muggles, Mr. Kowalski included.
"She’s realizing that Grindelwald may have not been the answer she needed to make that happen, and it’s about time she did," Revenson concludes. "So, when Queenie sees Jacob again, what will she do? Actress Alison Sudol states it brilliantly when she says that Queenie recognizes that they both still love each other and she doesn’t want to be in a world without this love. Alison says this gives the character her mojo back. And that’s the Queenie we want to see."
"Oueenie went through quite a shocking transition in the second film," says Alison Sudol. who plays Oueenie "I think it took a lot of people by surprise, including myself. She ends up making a fairly rash decision to follow a very manipulative human being, but one she believes offers a change she needs. Now we find her in a dangerous environment with nobody who can protect her."
Since Queenie is living in Nurmengard Castle, Colleen Atwood chose a Germanic silhouette for her wardrobe, but with color in her costumes "to show she is not totally in that world, but a little bit outside it," Colleen explains. "We used a deep carmine red on her, which contrasted nicely with the choice of her super-platinum hair." The tones of the other outfits Oueenie wears are different variations of this red color. "She goes into a Bing cherry red later on, as the story becomes more occluded."
Oueenie and Jacob have separated, "but there's still a spark there," says Alison. When they see each other at the German Ministry of Magic for the first time after she joined Grindelwald, it reignites something in her. "She realizes that he loves her and she still loves him, and a world without love is not a world that she wants to live in. This helps her got her mojo back," Alison says with a laugh.
