SDCC 2018: Here’s The Latest FANTASTIC BEASTS 2 Trailer

As you may've heard, Warner Bros. is currently in the midst of a big SDCC panel for David Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the sequel to 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

It would've been great if we'd had a Fantastic Beasts fan on-hand to write this post (which will include the film's latest trailer) but we don't, so you're stuck with me...and I can barely summon the will to autopilot my way through this thing. Sorry, Fantastic Beasts fans.

Maybe this new trailer will change my mind.

OK, admittedly, this looks better than the first one. At least it's less gray!

But still: nothing about this is selling me on getting invested in the franchise. There's some magic and some wands and what appears to be no small number of elaborate set pieces, but also there's a pronounced "been there, done that" feel to so much of it. Added bonus? Johnny Depp, a performer whose onscreen presence has become increasingly uncomfortable in a world where beloved directors are being fired off their $2B franchises for making offensive jokes on Twitter. Gonna be a no from me, dawg.

Anyhoo, here's an official plot synopsis:

"The powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has been captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world."

Look, folks: maybe this is your jam, and if so, more power to you. Everyone's got their thing; maybe Fantastic Beasts is yours! If so, the good news is, you have like three more of these movies to look forward to. If it's not your thing, well, the bad news is we have three more of these things to look forward to. Please plan accordingly.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gindelwald arrives in theaters on November 16th.