When Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits cinemas on 16 November, the new film will once again be accompanied by the publication of the original screenplay, written by J.K. Rowling. We can now exclusively reveal the cover for the screenplay, which will be published in the UK by Little, Brown; in the US and Canada by Scholastic; and in the French language by Gallimard. The UK and US editions will be released 16 November, while the French edition will come out the day before.
Along with the print editions, Pottermore will be releasing digital versions of the books for all markets too.
The cover has been created by MinaLima, the graphic design team behind the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. The cover complements MinaLima’s nuanced design of the first Fantastic Beasts screenplay – once again embellished with mysterious imagery that represent different facets of the story to come.
The artwork pays homage to Paris as one of the cities visited in The Crimes of Grindelwald, with the Eiffel Tower taking central focus. Eagle-eyed fans will also spot a few magical creatures, including a Bowtruckle and a Niffler, along with a few other recognisable Wizarding World symbols, such as the Deathly Hallows. We can also spot a locket with the letters ‘NF’, a piece of jewellery, and an ominous skull hanging over the top of the cover. But what do all of these mean for the story?
Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima spoke to Pottermore about the creative process behind the heavily detailed cover, and how important it was to portray France in their designs.
‘The Art Nouveau aesthetic is so strong in this film,’ the duo explained. ‘The costumes, the architecture, the colours: that all felt like something we should really push [in the cover]. So while there are Easter eggs and hidden gems in here, they’re all knitted in with these swirls and flourishes that really follow that traditional aesthetic.’
‘The location is so significant in this film and the Eiffel Tower is so iconic it lends itself to this design,’ Mira added. ‘And as for the colour, we wanted to keep the gold theme running through, but as the storyline is getting darker, we introduced this black silhouette design. And the overall colour is typical of the period.’
Be sure to give the cover a thorough examination and see how many clues you can spot.
The announcement of the screenplay represents The Crimes of Grindelwald's three-fold journey across three different countries: North America, the UK and France. Specifically, the story is set to take us to Paris, back to New York, and across the pond to London. We also know from the trailer that we will be returning to Hogwarts in some form – so there’s certainly plenty of ground to cover.
You can pre-order your copy of the screenplay for the US and the UK now. These versions will be released on the same day as the film, 16 November 2018.
