Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (21 page)

SCENE 112

INT. UNDERGROUND AMPHITHEATER—NIGHT

We follow GRINDELWALD onstage as the audience explodes with delight. Their hysteria builds as he stands there, part demagogue, part rock star.

ANGLE ON TINA, edging through the crowd, searching.

She spots QUEENIE and, at a short distance, CREDENCE. Whom should she approach first? She chooses CREDENCE, but as she moves, is blocked by an ACOLYTE. They make eye
contact. TINA knows she is wildly outnumbered. Under the ACOLYTE’S gaze, she sinks onto a bench.

We pan over the crowd. We see QUEENIE, rapt, and JACOB, low in his seat and scared . . . KAMA, who is skeptical . . . CREDENCE, transfixed,
and NAGINI, who trusts nobody . . . LETA, studying GRINDELWALD, wondering . . .

ANGLE ON GRINDELWALD, gesturing at the crowd to settle.

GRINDELWALD

My brothers, my sisters, my friends: the great gift of your applause is not for me.

(off noises of denial)

No. It is for yourselves.

ANGLE ON LETA, amid the crowd. She is not clapping, but she feels the pull of GRINDELWALD’S charisma.

GRINDELWALD

You came today because of a craving and a knowledge that the old ways serve us no longer . . . You come today because you crave something new, something
different.

ANGLE ON CREDENCE, listening.

GRINDELWALD

It is said that I hate Les Non-Magiques. The Muggles. The No-Maj. The Can’t-Spells.

Jeers and hisses from much of the crowd. JACOB sinks deeper into his seat. QUEENIE is momentarily anxious; she seizes his hand: No, wait, listen—

GRINDELWALD

I do not hate them. I do not.

Silence from the crowd.

GRINDELWALD

For I do not fight out of hatred. I say the Muggles are not lesser, but other. Not worthless, but of other value. Not disposable, but of a different disposition.

(beat)

Magic blooms only in rare souls. It is granted to those who live for higher things. Oh, and what a world we could make, for all of humanity. We who live for freedom, for
truth—

His eyes meet QUEENIE’S in the front row.

GRINDELWALD

—and for love.

We pan across QUEENIE, now heart and soul his . . .

SCENE 113

EXT. PÈRE LACHAISE CEMETERY—NIGHT

The figures of fifty AURORS appear in silhouette among the mausoleums. We move in and see that THESEUS is one of them.

THESEUS

It isn’t illegal to listen to him! Use minimum of force on the crowd. We mustn’t be what he says we are!

But on other faces we see nervousness, even fear, and on a few, a clear will to fight, to avenge.

SCENE 114

INT. UNDERGROUND AMPHITHEATER—NIGHT

BACK TO GRINDELWALD onstage.

GRINDELWALD

The moment has come to share my vision of the future that awaits if we do not rise up and take our rightful place in the world.

ROSIER appears onstage. Bowing, she presents the skull-hookah to GRINDELWALD.

Total silence falls in the auditorium. GRINDELWALD is illuminated by the skull’s golden light. He inhales deeply through the tube. His eyes roll up into his head. He
exhales . . .

. . . and it is extraordinary. A gigantic Technicolor cloak seems to unfurl from his lips across the high stone ceiling, bearing moving images—the crowd
gasps—

Thousands of marching, booted feet . . . explosions, men running with guns . . .

CLOSE ON THE FACES OF THE CROWD, mesmerized and afraid, the light of the vision playing across their faces.

CLOSE ON NEWT, stunned.

The vision of a nuclear blast rocks the amphitheater. It is horrifying. The crowd feels it, is terrified. Screams, until the vision subsides, leaving murmurs of
panic . . .

CLOSE ON JACOB, horrified.

JACOB

Not another war . . .

The vision fades. All eyes return to GRINDELWALD.

GRINDELWALD

That is what we are fighting! That is the enemy—their arrogance, their power lust, their barbarity. How long will it take before they turn their weapons on us?

We pan around the exits and see AURORS, unnoticed, entering the auditorium, fanning out among the crowd.

CLOSE ON THESEUS, who is worried: The situation is volatile and could go badly wrong.

The crowd settles, agitated, expectant. They are waiting for some new, extraordinary revelation.

GRINDELWALD

Do nothing when I speak of this. You must remain calm and contain your emotions.

(beat)

There are Aurors here among us.

Gasps. Heads turn. We see the AURORS looking around in panic. They are wildly outnumbered. The crowd is hostile.

GRINDELWALD

(to the AURORS who have just entered)

Come closer, brother wizards! Join us.

To mounting hisses and angry jeers, the AURORS know they have no choice but to walk forward and show themselves.

ANGLE ON LETA, turning to look.

She spots THESEUS. A long, charged look between them.

THESEUS

(to the other AURORS)

Do nothing. No force.

But one of the jumpiest young AURORS has made eye contact with the YOUNG RED-HAIRED WITCH. She is angry, as twitchy as he is, fingering her wand.

GRINDELWALD

They have killed many of my followers, it is true. They caught and tortured me in New York. They had struck down their fellow witches and wizards for the simple crime of seeking
truth, for wanting freedom . . .

He is deliberately playing on the unstable YOUNG RED-HAIRED WITCH’S feelings. The YOUNG AUROR raises his wand a few inches. He can sense her desire for
violence—

GRINDELWALD

Your anger—your desire for revenge—is natural.

And it happens. She raises her wand, but the YOUNG AUROR curses first. To the horror of her companions, she falls, dead.

GRINDELWALD

No!

Screams fill the auditorium. GRINDELWALD ascends into the crowd, which parts for him. He kneels and pulls the YOUNG RED-HAIRED WITCH’S limp body into his
arms.

GRINDELWALD

(to her friends)

Take this young warrior back to her family.

The Niffler, unnoticed, wriggles out from beneath GRINDELWALD’S boot and disappears into the crowd.

GRINDELWALD

Disapparate. Leave. Go forth from this place and spread the word: It is not we who are violent.

They take the body and Disapparate, as does most of the crowd. THESEUS and the AURORS watch the purebloods leave. THESEUS ushers his AURORS forward.

THESEUS

(looking at GRINDELWALD)

Let’s take him.

They start to descend the amphitheater steps. GRINDELWALD turns his back on the advancing AURORS, relishing the fight to come.

GRINDELWALD

Protego diabolica.

He spins and draws a protective circle of black fire around himself. The exits close.

ABERNATHY, CARROW, KRAFFT, MACDUFF, NAGEL, and ROSIER walk through the flames into the circle.

ANGLE ON KRALL, hesitating.

Then he decides the circle is the better option, braces himself, runs into the fire—and is consumed.

GRINDELWALD

Aurors, join me in this circle, pledge to me your eternal allegiance, or die. Only here shall you know freedom, only here shall you know yourself.

GRINDELWALD sends a wall of flames into the air, pursuing fleeing AURORS.

GRINDELWALD

Play by the rules! No cheating, children.

NAGINI grabs CREDENCE and tries to drag him away with her, but he is staring at GRINDELWALD.

CREDENCE

He knows who I am.

NAGINI

He knows what you were born, not who you are . . .

GRINDELWALD smiles at CREDENCE through the fire.

NEWT

Credence!

NEWT tries to fight the fire but it becomes more monstrous, lashing out with eel-like spurs.

CREDENCE decides: Pulling free of NAGINI, he walks toward the flames.

Devastated, NAGINI is forced back by the ever-expanding fire.

ANGLE ON QUEENIE AND JACOB, who are pressed up against a different stretch of wall.

JACOB

Queenie. You gotta wake up.

QUEENIE

(a decision)

Jacob, he’s the answer. He wants what we want.

JACOB

No, no, no, no, no, no.

QUEENIE

Yeah.

JACOB

No.

The black flames are coming toward them, fast.

ANGLE ON CREDENCE, walking through the flames.

GRINDELWALD embraces him like a prodigal son.

GRINDELWALD

This has all been for you, Credence.

ANGLE ON QUEENIE AND JACOB.

QUEENIE

Walk with me.

JACOB

Honey, no!

QUEENIE

(screams)

Walk with me!

JACOB

You’re crazy.

She reads his mind, turns, hesitates, then walks into the black fire.

JACOB

(desperate, disbelieving)

No! Queenie, don’t do it!

She screams, and JACOB covers his face, terrified, as she passes through the ring of fire and joins GRINDELWALD’S side.

JACOB

Queenie . . .

TINA

QUEENIE!

QUEENIE Disapparates.

TINA retaliates, throwing a curse at GRINDELWALD, but the circle of fire lashes out in ever more violent spears. GRINDELWALD conducts the flames as though leading an
orchestra, the Elder Wand his baton, as the forks of fire strike at AURORS attempting to Disapparate or flee.

Half a dozen AURORS lose their heads and run through the flames to GRINDELWALD.

ANGLE ON NEWT AND THESEUS, standing together on the amphitheater steps.