Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: Five controversies that have surrounded the Harry Potter prequel

From Johnny Depp's casting to Dumbledore's sexuality

Few films have caused as much controversy before reaching cinemas as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Sure, there have been blockbusters with troubled productions and questionable castings before, but JK Rowling’s latest instalment in the Wizarding World franchise has been plagued by multiple stinging setbacks, ranging from accusations of racism to fans growing annoyed at the retconning of Harry Potter lore.

Here’s a brief look the five biggest controversies surrounding the second Fantastic Beasts film, which reaches cinemas 16 November.

Johnny Depp’s casting

Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in ‘Fantastic Beasts’

Although Depp appeared briefly as the villain Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, many fans hoped the actor would be dropped between films following accusations of domestic violence from ex-wife Amber Heard.

The pair divorced in 2016, with Depp paying $7 million in a settlement that saw the allegations dropped. Heard gave the money to domestic abuse charities.

Rowling acknowledged people’s cries to drop Depp from the franchise in a blog post on the website Pottermore, saying that fans were right to question the casting.

“However,” the post continues, “the agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected.

“Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”

Heard responded to the post by highlighting the full joint statement released by herself and Depp after the charges were dropped out of court. “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains,” the statement reads. “There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm.”

She added to the original statement on Twitter, writing: “For the record, this was our full joint statement. To pick and choose certain lines & quote them out of context, is not right. Women, stay strong.”

Fans were equally infuriated by Rowling’s statement, with one particularly damning Twitter post going viral: “Hey JK Rowling, remember that letter you wrote me when I was 15, explicitly saying that the HP world would always be a safe haven from abuse, would always be there to protect & comfort me? Shove it up your arse.”

The post’s author later wrote a comment piece for The i, writing: “JK Rowling explicitly told me, and millions of others, that she does not care about victims. This is not uncommon.”

Director David Yates later attempted to defend Depp’s casting, saying: “I can only tell you about the man I see every day: He’s full of decency and kindness, and that’s all I see. Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with.”

Another backlash ensued, with Yates and producer David Heyman releasing another statement, reading: “None of us involved in Fantastic Beasts would ever let our appreciation of talent obscure other, far more important considerations.”

Many fans remain unconvinced by the statements, yet the casting went ahead and Depp remains an integral part of the forthcoming three sequels to Crimes of Grindelwald.

For his part, Depp said of being cast that he felt “sorry” for Rowling having to field dozens of questions about him, adding: “The fact remains I was falsely accused, which is why I’m suing The Sun newspaper for defamation for repeating false accusations.

“JK has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused, and that’s why she has publicly supported me. She doesn’t take things lightly. She would not stand up if she didn’t know the truth. So that’s really it.”

Dumbledore’s sexuality

Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore in a scene from ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ (Warner Bros/AP)

Following the final Harry Potter novel, Rowling revealed that Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore had been in love with Grindelwald and later confirmed the character was gay.

However, director Yates caused controversy during the production of Crimes of Grindelwald by saying Dumbledore’s sexuality would not be explored “explicitly” in the sequel.

“I think all the fans are aware of [Dumbledore’s sexuality],” the filmmaker stated. “He had a very intense relationship with Grindelwald when they were young men. They fell in love with each other’s ideas, and ideology and each other.”

Fans expressed annoyance online, with Rowling being forced to release a statement in response. “Being sent abuse about an interview that didn’t involve me, about a screenplay I wrote but which none of the angry people have read, which is part of a five-movie series that’s only one instalment in, is obviously tons of fun,” she wrote on Twitter.

Yates eventually followed up by saying that Dumbledore is gay, adding: “This part of this huge narrative that Jo is creating doesn’t focus on his sexuality, but we’re not airbrushing or hiding it… the story [of the romantic relationship] isn’t there in this particular movie but it’s clear in what you see… that he is gay.”

Dumbledore actor Jude Law also defended the film, confirming that he doesn’t share any scenes with Depp but that the relationship would be further expressed further down the line.

“I suppose the question is: How is Dumbledore’s sexuality depicted in this film?” he added. “What you got to remember this is only the second Fantastic Beasts film in a series and what’s brilliant about Jo’s writing is how she reveals her characters, peels them to the heart over time.”

Accusations of racism

Claudia Kim in 'Fantastic Beasts'

A trailer revealed that the Harry Potter character Nagini – Lord Voldemort’s faithful serpent – would appear in the film as a human, played by South Korean actor Claudia Kim.

While Rowling’s wizarding series has previously been criticised for its lack of diverse roles, many fans were not happy with the decision to cast Kim as a character who goes on to become subservient to the franchise’s chief villain.

“Listen Joanne, we get it, you didn’t include enough representation when you wrote the books. But suddenly making Nagini into a Korean woman is garbage,“ one Twitter user wrote.

Rowling responded with a Tweet: “The Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name ‘Nagini.’ They are sometimes depicted as winged, sometimes as half-human, half-snake. Indonesia comprises a few hundred ethnic groups, including Javanese, Chinese and Betawi. Have a lovely day.”

Some fans were unhappy with the response, one writing: “Wooooow just when you thought the idea behind this film couldn’t get any worse they make Nagini an Asian woman. Which means she was a submissive Asian woman for a white male this entire time. A racist trope and fetish.”

Kim responded herself to the controversy a month before the film’s release, saying that the backlash over the role had been “unexpected”.

“When I found out that I’m playing Nagini, I thought it was meaningful because it’s an important character in the Harry Potter series,” she said. “[It’s] a franchise film with many Caucasian actors, so I thought many Korean viewers would be happy.”

“I think Nagini should’ve been played by an Asian,” she continued. “Scriptwriter JK Rowling probably searched for an Asian actress because she researched the origin of Nagini. I’m not sure if it’s just my pride, but I think I was able to bring out a different vibe as a Korean in Hollywood where there are many Korean Americans.”

While Kim may have been OK with taking on the role, fans have also called the entire premise of turning Nagini into a human problematic. The snake was always just a snake until the trailer revealed otherwise – and fans have very mixed feelings about giving the serpent a backstory.

Continuity errors

The Harry Potter films have massive fandom, so any change to the Wizarding World’s history gets analysed and re-analysed by obsessive fans over and over again.

As such, the die-hards have already found various problems within Crimes of Grindelwald, including the changing way characters pronounce the antagonist’s name.

“I dived straight in calling him ‘Grindlevald’, assuming that because I have this very good friendship with him that I got it right,“ Law said when asked about the error.

“Eddie Redmayne pointed out halfway through the film, ‘I don’t call him that. I call him Grindelwald.’ But it was too late. I think it’s because Albus knows him well and at some point, Gellert said, ‘Can you please call me ‘Grindelvald.’ I’m sticking to that.”

While that just about makes sense, Rowling’s going to have multiple questions to answer once the film reaches cinemas. The last scene, for instance, leaves things on a massive cliff-hanger that will leave even the biggest Harry Ptter fans questioning everything they know about a certain leading character. We won’t spoil that here but – be assured – it’s quite the head scratcher.

JK Rowling’s legal troubles

While not linked to the Fantastic Beasts films, Rowling’s recent legal troubles have been a distraction from the sequel’s release, making headlines in various national publications.

The writer has claimed that Amanda Donaldson, who worked as Rowling’s personal assistant from February 2014 to April 2017, spent £24,000 on cosmetics and other items, in addition to stealing Harry Potter merchandise.

Donaldson responded by denying the claims and said the author has “not suffered any loss and is not entitled to damages”. The two will appear in court later in the year.

Chances are, even with legal troubles, controversial castings and the questionable treatment of a character’s sexuality, Crimes of Grindelwald will make many, many millions at the box-office. And even if not, the three sequels are not likely to be put on hold anytime soon.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is released in cinemas on 16 November