Ever wonder how Voldemort got his start down the dark path to becoming 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'? While J.K. Rowling would cover some of Tom Riddle's backstory in the books, a new fan-made short film is looking to explore the myth even further. And it looks kind of amazing. Even if it's not part of the official narrative laid out by the creator herself.
Tryangle Films dropped the first teaser trailer for Voldemort: Origins of the Heir on their Youtube channel, and it has some pretty cool visual effects to go along with its compelling storyline. Instead of following Magizoologist Newt Scamander as the official Warner Bros. prequels have done, this early story set within the world of Harry Potter chooses to focus on the villain that rests at the heart of the tale. It's a work in progress. Says Triangle FIlms.
"We're currently shooting - [support the project: https://goo.gl/UFWzts]. Voldemort: Origins of the Heir talks about the early life of Voldemort, powerful dark Wizard from the Harry Potter saga, and all the reasons that made his name so well-known and feared among his peers."
While the sixth book and subsequent movie in the Harry Potter saga, The Half-Blood Prince, does flashback to the early years of Tom Riddle, some fans have always been a bit disappointed about the lack of Voldemort scenes set during his youth. This new prequel movie is setting out to change all that. But as it is fan-made, other 'fans' might just look at it as a fun diversion that starts a conversation more so than some true piece of fiction that deserves to be studied at length.
The trailer has the look and feel of a big budget movie, helped by the visual effects on display. The short is non-profit. And it appears that this excursion in Harry Potter lore will explore that period of time when Tom Marvolo Riddle had ditched Hogwarts. The school of witchcraft and wizardry fully in his rearview mirror, Riddle goes on a bloody murder spree to acquire the the infamous magical artifacts needed to create the Horcruxes. This is all source material that is found in the original novels and is delved into somewhat less extensively in the movies.
Grisha McLaggen is the female heroine narrating the movies. And it's a character creation not of J.K. Rowling's making, who never appears in the books. But it's suspected that the makers of the movie intend for her to be somehow related to Cormac McLaggen from the novel series.
A quick trip to the film's official official website reveals that dark wizard and one-time lover of Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, will make an appearance in the short. This character first turned up in Fantastic Beasts and will return as played by Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 2. You can watch the trailer now, and if you dig it, heck, give some money to the team behind the short. Perhaps they'll get the whole thing to you sooner than expected.