The 'Crimes of Grindelwald' script cover is hiding a big clue
When Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters in November, the screenplay will hit bookshelves just as it did for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016. The cover, released Wednesday on Pottermore, is full of hidden gems for keen-eyed fans of Harry Potter and the wizarding world of Fantastic Beasts.
The Crimes of Grindelwald takes place in Paris, so the Eiffel Tower makes for a natural centerpiece to this cover design. Twisting out from it are two matching cats (vaguely Chat Noir) and the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, with which both Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) were dangerously fascinated. The I in "Crimes" is one of these: The Elder Wand; and the A in "Grindelwald" is a triangle, which symbolizes the cloak of invisibility. Will both objects appear in the film?
Leaning against the cats are gold Bowtruckles. The creature was introduced in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as Newt's (Eddie Redmayne) friend Pickett, a twig-like creature cute enough to rival baby Groot. Another Fantastic Beasts creature appears next to the Bowtruckle: The Niffler, notorious for its relentless pursuit of shiny objects.
The bottom corners also look like some sort of animal, but nothing we've met yet, with at least one set of long tusks and a row of teeth between them. The top corners look like dragons breathing fire, perhaps flanked by phoenixes. A skull hovers above it all – EW is sure it's the Dark Mark, Voldemort's symbol. Or could it represent something else that should inspire the same ominous feeling?
Artists Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima chose an Art Nouveau aesthetic, and most of the cover is symmetrical except for a few tantalizing elements: First, the object dangling just left of the word "Original," which Pottermore describes as a piece of jewelry. What could this item be? Significant jewelry is all over Harry Potter, from the locket and ring containing bits of Voldemort's soul to Hermione's Time Turner on a chain necklace.
An image of a woman borders either side of the cover, but she isn't immediately recognizable or comparable to Tina (Katherine Waterstone), Queenie (Alison Sudol), Seraphina (Carmen Ejego), Leta (Zoë Kravitz), or Maledictus (Claudia Kim).
Across from the piece of jewelry hangs a lock with the initials N.F. – no one we know, perhaps, except the famous alchemist Nicholas Flamel, creator of the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone. Hypable notes that the stone itself may be on the cover, encased in the center above the title text; this could also be the third Hallow, the Resurrection Stone.
Flamel's work led him to create the Elixir of Life and achieve immortality, which he forsakes by the end of the first Harry Potter book. In the Fantastic Beasts era, he is very much alive, and we know that he and Dumbledore are old friends.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald premieres Nov. 16. The screenplay is now available for preorder.
Topics Harry Potter
Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.
