J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World has been going strong since the 1990's, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Now the acclaimed writer is intimately involved with the Fantastic Beasts franchise, with the second of five movies hitting theaters this weekend. The Crimes of Grindelwald will bring back the characters introduced in the first movie, and pair them with franchise favorites like Albus Dumbledore and Nagini.
Among the returning characters is Dan Fogler's Jacob Kowalski, the token muggle (or Non-Maj) of the franchise. Jacob may be a scene stealer, but his lack of magical abilities keeps him on the sidelines of duels and action sequences. Fogler recently spoke to this dynamic, when he was asked about feeling left out of the magical fun.
Of course, man! It's unfair! It's like being in the western and they don't give you a pistol. Everyone's walking around with a wand. Jacob is so brave. He goes in there with no weapons at all basically. That's cool. I hope at some point they'll be able to be able to wield the magic.
Looks like Dan Fogler, and therefore Jacob Kowalski, has a serious case of FOMO. Because while he's one of the biggest characters in the franchise, Fogler isn't able to participate in some of the most magical moments Fantastic Beasts. Seriously, the guy wants his own wand.
Dan Fogler's comments to LRM are what most fans would think if they had the privilege to be on the set of movies like The Crimes of Grindelwald. Because while he's part of a world that includes movies, novels, and plays, Fogler doesn't get to live the full fantasy, casting spells in a Wizarding Duel. That is, unless he ends up becoming a squib like Filch sometime in the franchise's future. There are 3 more movies coming, so anything seems possible.
Harry Potter fans are very eager to see how Jacob Kowalski ends up factoring into the story of The Crimes of Grindelwald, especially considering how the first Fantastic Beasts movie ended. After being introduced to the Wizarding World, Jacob's memory is obliviated by the rain that helped cleanse New York. And following a brief kiss with Queenie, he lost all memory of the magical journey he'd gone on with the rest of the characters. That is, until now.
Jacob will presumably get his memories back sometime during the events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. There are also some fan theories indicating he might never have lost his memory in the first place. Given J.K Rowling's penchant for plot twists and secrets, it seems like just about anything is on the table.
Luckily, all of our questions can be answered this weekend, as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is currently in theaters now. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
