You also can't tell Dumbledore what to do.

 

It wasn't Dumbledore doing the apparating.

 

Hype.

/10char

 

Fair point.

 

It's a canon fact that the headmaster of Hogwarts can manipulate the wards so people can apperate and disapperate at Hogwarts.

Remember Harry's apperation lessons at school.

 

As for the DADA classroom, perhaps teachers move from room to room? We know that Slughorn got Professor Merrythought's office when he came back in HBP. Also I imagine there are considerations of fanservice ("ohh, that's the same classroom from the previous movies!" says some casual) and production costs ("yeah, it might not make sense, but it's cheaper to recreate a set we used a lot than design a new one, so fuck it" says a WB suit).

 

Grindelwald looks:

a) nothing like he did in Fantastic Beasts, and

b) nothing like Johnny Depp.

Both of these are good signs.

 

Grindelwald looks far better being disheveled from his stay in prison but I don't think that we will be that lucky he probably get's his dumb little mustache back as soon as he can clean himself up ......

 

The one concern I have about this is how it's going to fit with canon. The first Fantastic Beasts movie had been clearly written to be much more in the spirit of the books than the original movies were. But now we're back in England with some familiar characters and locations and it's going to turn the whole thing into an inconsistent mess which incorporates elements of the movies with elements of the books. Gah.

Fun thing I enjoy is how many Aurors are brought along for the interview with Dumbledore. Nervous much?

Also amusing, throw-away thought: how funny would it be if, in the later WW2 era movies, they bring Gary Oldman in to play Churchill.

 

Good points. Out of curiosity, I checked Pottermore for any news after I posted my observations here, and they specifically mentioned the DADA classroom as a recognisable element. I’ve got no idea how much exclusive access the writers get for that sort of thing so as to not inadvertently spoil half the plot, so I’m just hoping that they’re not going to turn Dumbledore into the DADA teacher. He did look quite at-home in the room, but even JKR should have noticed that during the writing or filming process.

Or we’ll have a tweet incoming how Dumbledore substituted for a year for a colleague that suddenly caught dragonpox…

 

I'm fairly sure it's less hunt-Grindelwald-down and more of a I'm-otherwise-indisposed-so-go-be-my-eyes-and-ears-on-the-ground-type situation.

I love what I've seen from the trailer. Live-action younger Dumbledore is everything I've ever wanted since I read the books, and barring the general inaccuracies regarding his canon appearance, Jude Law seems like he'll be a fantastic Dumbledore.

@Taure I too chuckled when I saw they had Dumbledore flanked by Aurors. Can't wait

 

I also love that his hands are in his pockets and his wand is on the desk. Message: "I could take you all, easily, and I wouldn't even need my hands to do it."

 

Just watched the trailer again. I think the way Dumbledore stresses the different words is indicative of Newt being a major player against Grindelwald, on direct orders of or even in place of Dumbledore. To put it crudely, he says "I CAN’T move against Grindelwald, it HAS to be you."

Whether that is because Newt actually beat Grindelwald in a fight before (which would lead back to the Elder Wand and Newt’s own knowledge about the significance of that particular circumstance) or due to some other, heretofore unexplained reason is impossible to say right now. Perhaps this is just the early Dumbledore paranoia of not trusting himself around artifacts of power, or power in general, acting up. Perhaps it’s his personal relationship with Grindelwald and fear of exposure. Maybe it’s everything, maybe it’s something totally different. However, I’m leaning towards the Elder Wand being involved somehow. The Hallows are, after all, in the title of the film. (And I think JKR said they were going to be relevant in some way, but I’m not totally sure about that.)


Also, one more minor nitpick from the apparition scene: It always weirds me out when people apparate and just walk straight on. Obviously it looks really cool on film, but I’m not sure about the practicality of it all. Different ground, the gait, the need to maintain balance and concentration during the apparition, how much time it actually takes to disappear and "instantly" reappear… it seems like a major risk of tripping over one’s own feet would be involved. But perhaps in this case, the explanation is simply "It’s magic, numbskull."

 

It definitely looks like the British MoM is politically ignoring Grindelwald's crimes on the Continent. Thus, they are not allowing Dumbledore to confront him. I wonder if we will see the British even support Grindelwald behind the scenes. The pureblood agenda would be all for Grindelwald I would assume. Could definitely be an interesting facet of the film if it goes in that direction.

 

Dumbledore's hands are tied, and he's making Newt his deputy - this much is clearly obvious.

It doesn't have to be in a martial context at all. Move, when used in a context such as this, is usually indicative of a tactical game- I doubt Dumbledore would tell his favorite former student to go duel the very man he says he's only "a shade more skillful" than. But I guess we'll see for sure in the movie. Grindelwald was making mincemeat of the American Aurors - Newt took advantage of his distraction and one-shot him. Hardly an indication of his dueling skill.

I'd be VERY surprised if Dumbledore's authorising Newt to go duel Grindelwald. Feel free to quote me come November, if I'm wrong.

 

Against my better judgment, I’ve allowed myself some degree of excitement for this.

Waiting for November to come, before it’s gone away...

 

Jude Law is a great choice for Dumbles, and they've fixed Johnny Depp's make-up so he doesn't look like a circus clown. I am now actually hyped.

 

Okay, that trailer was all it took to hype me up.

Also, @1:10, think that's a Kelpie?

I wonder if The Duel happens in this flick or the end of the trilogy.

 

I think it takes place roughly a year after FB1, which was 1926. The duel was in '45. C'mon.

 

They could easily do a 20 year skip for the third movie. Wizards age slowly, so give everybody some greying hair and voila. Only Kowalski would need a replacement actor.

That said, I think JKR will want to leave such a huge moment to people's imagination.