Eddie Redmayne can't say much about Fantastic Beasts 3, but he can confirm he had to shoot some scenes in the water in the middle of winter. Following in the footsteps of Daniel Radcliffe, Redmayne became the new leading hero of J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World when he stepped into the role of Newt Scamander for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The Harry Potter prequel series follows magizoologist Newt as he investigates magical creatures and becomes embroiled in a wizarding war. So far, there have been two Fantastic Beasts movies, with three more expected to roll out in the coming years.
Much of the buzz surrounding Fantastic Beasts 3 has been about the recasting of franchise villain Gellert Grindelwald. For the first two installments, Johnny Depp played the pre-Voldemort dark wizard and was clearly gearing up to have a large role in the rest of the series. However, following the highly publicized libel case that Depp lost in the fall, Warner Bros. asked him to step down from the role. Mads Mikkelsen was later cast to play Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 and onward.
With all of that going on, it's easy to forget there are other things happening with Fantastic Beasts 3. It might be smart for fans to remember that, since Redmayne is really going through a lot. While sitting down with Jamie Dornan for Variety's Actors on Actors series, Redmayne gave a small hint about what fans can expect from the third Fantastic Beasts. He couldn't say anything about the plot, but he did reveal the location of some of his scenes, which was made more complicated by the fact that production was delayed last year by the ongoing pandemic. Redmayne explained:
“I can’t tell you anything other than the fact that I think I’ve got some night shoots in Watford, in Leavesden, [England], that we were meant to shoot in the summer in water. But now obviously because of lockdown, and the film shutdown, they’re being shot in early December. And suddenly you find yourself swimming outdoors in British winter.”
The thought of plunging into water in the middle of winter doesn't sound appealing to anyone, and it must not be much fun for Redmayne. This calls to mind a scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, when Harry took a dive into a pond to track down the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Newt might not be searching for a sword in Fantastic Beasts 3, but could he be interacting with a new magical creature? One of the highlights of this franchise is the inventive beasts that populate them, and an aquatic creature could be quite fun.
And yet, for as much as the Fantastic Beasts movies excel in creating the titular animals, the franchise is increasingly moving away from them to focus on the war against Grindelwald. Little is known about the plot for Fantastic Beasts 3, save for the fact that part of it will take place in Rio de Janiero and it will help lead up to the massive battle between good and evil. Fantastic Beasts 3 isn't slated for release until July 2022, so it might be some time before more story details are revealed. One thing is certain though: Newt's going swimming.
Source: Variety
