The Beasts of “Fantastic Beasts”
Entertainment Weekly continues to feed our hunger for new Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them information with a look at some of the beasts we can expect to see in the film when it debuts late next year. While EW makes it clear that the list is not final, the group of seven magical creatures sounds reasonable for inclusion since they’ve made prior appearances in either Harry Potter writing, on the big screen, or both. We even get a small hint at the character of Newt Scamander from Eddie Redmayne discussing the Magizoologist’s relationship with his Niffler, the first creature on the list:
A treasure-hunting creature attracted to shiny things, like belt buckles and gold teeth, and a favorite of Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne. ‘They have this wonderful love-hate relationship,’ Redmayne says of Newt and his Niffler. ‘He’s incredibly aggravating and wonderful at [the] same time. He’s a complete nightmare, yet Newt gets off on his playfulness and single-mindedness.’
The remaining six creatures:
Ashwinder: A pale serpent created from the embers of a magical fire if allowed to burn unchecked. You really don’t want them to lay eggs.
Lethifold: Particularly deadly. Looks like a dark cloak that glides along the ground and then suffocates its victims in their sleep.
Augurey: You’ve seen a phoenix before. This is the green-black Irish version, and its mournful cry signals it’s about to rain … or foretells your death. One of those.
Bowtruckle: A hand-sized stick-like creature that’s difficult to spot and usually lives in trees (which it will violently defend). This particular one lives in Newt’s pocket.
Crup: A wizard-bred dog with a forked tail that resembles a Jack Russell Terrier. Very loyal and will eat just about anything (so a bit like a dog, then).
Merpeople: Rowling previously put a ferocious spin on the classic underwater-dwelling humanoid sea creatures.
It’s interesting to note that merpeople are the only creatures on this list we’ve previously seen rendered in the cinematic Potter universe. All others have appeared solely in video games, with the exception of the Lethifold and Crup, which have never physically appeared in any official medium. It seems we have plenty of visual reveals in store for us down the road!
Which beasts would you like to see in the film come November 2016? Sound off in the comments below!
