Leaky’s “Fantastic Beasts” Set Report: Walking the Outdoor Set-Part III

The Diner

After visiting Queenie and Tina’s, we circled back down the right side of “Lewis Street.” Across the street from the publishing company, the “accountants,” and Ginzberg Delvnay were business labeled “6^th Avenue Photography,” “Foster and Manning Attorneys,” “Rufus J. Polick Stationary,” and on the corner of Rivington and Lewis Street (opposite the “bank”) is a corner diner. Painted black with gold lettering, it is simply named “Diner.” The Diner’s neighboring “Rivington Street” businesses were a women’s clothing shop, “Couture,” and a women’s “Hats and Shoes” shop.

We were allowed to go inside the Diner…which, as we learned, meant it was important. The Diner had a bar were customers seemed to pay for the meals, and perhaps order their meals. It looks as this bar was made to be fully stocked with alcohol if it weren’t prohibition. Instead, shelves of coffee mugs and ice cream and parfait glasses line the wall behind the bar.

The Diner sold soda and ice cream, like a good old soda fountain shop. On the wall near the bar was a “specials” board reveals the name of the diner. Customers have the option of ordering of the ordinary “Alivan’s menu,” or the “Alivan’s Delux Menu.” Food included items such as hot dogs, roast beef, and other rather uninteresting food choices.

One of the most important aspects of the diner to notice was that the Diner was a mess. The tables seemed to be covered in trash. There are rappers and abandoned food and drink everywhere. Perhaps there was a commotion that caused all customers to scram. Even more interesting, the SnitchSeeker correspondent pointed out that there were blue stunt mats in the middle of the floor, and I noticed green stunt mats shoved in the corner by the bar. Something “epic” definitely happens in this diner–though, all minds are left to wonder as to the specifics.We also know from the Pottermore Fantastic Beasts’ extras report, as well as saw in pictures and heard from the actors later that day, that Ezra Miller’s character, Credence, meets up with Colin Farrell’s character, Graves (possibly corrupt auror?) in the diner. *queue dramatic music*.

(click to enlarge images)

Samantha Morton as “Mary Lou” is the leader of the “Second Salemers.” EW described her character as, “the narrow-minded leader of the fanatical Second Salemers, a group looking to expose and destroy wizards and witches.” Ezra Miller plays Credence, or as EW revealed, “perhaps the cast’s most mysterious character. He’s Mary Lou’s troubled adopted son.” One can make a lot of speculations about what that means. One can only speculate. What exactly is the troubled adopted son of Mary Lou, the leader of the Second Salemers, doing with a wizard (Graves)? Bet you anything his step-mother wouldn’t be happy. Perhaps Credence has some magic inside of him, and his birth parents were a witch and a wizard? If that is so, did Mary Lou know this before adopting him? Is Mary Lou like a Petunia-Vernon Dursley on steroids?

The Zoo

While noticing the stunt mats on the floors, a few of us accidentally got separated from the rest of the group for just a short while. We quickly found everyone in the ruins of a 1920s city zoo. What importance could exotic animals and beasts have in a feature filmed called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?

Crossing the open concrete space that marks City Hall Plaza, there was a zoo set up behind the New York City set. Everyone entered the zoo set through a small wooden door off to the side marked “Zoo Keepers Only.” The zoo is a circular building with a front gate marked by to towers, and a crossway like a castle. Two towers opposite the main entrance hold a castle-like structure as well. Cages line the circular walls of the zoo, creating a circle of exotic creatures. In the center is a round, open “enclosure” with one large rock in the middle. It looks like a miniature form of the Lion King’s Pride rock, and perhaps lions were to be exhibited there.

The main entrance of the zoo is in ruins. The red brick and stone lay in piles of rubble. One of the towers is torn open so one can see the spiral staircase that winds to the top of it—or what was left of it at least. Many cages, and the reptile and insect room, which is in the castle structure across the main entrance, are also destroyed—the wall was crumbled away and all glass was shattered.

Walking in a counter-clockwise circle from “Zoo Keepers” entrance, I took note of the animal enclosures. The first is an ostrich cage. The bars of the cage are bent and the contents within are unidentifiably destroyed. The ostriches have escaped. So much for that “$25 fine for feeding” warning signs, hanging haphazardly from the cage.

The ostrich cage sits next to an untouched African chimpanzee cage. To the left of the chimp cage is a destroyed North African porcupine enclosure. Stepping carefully around the rubble from the front gate, we circle past a llama enclosure, a destroyed Kangaroo cage, and untouched Baboon and Peacock cages.

Whatever escaped Newt’s brief case may have paid a visit to its ordinary animal relatives. Or was it a wizard on wizard show down? As Newt reminds us in one of the trailers, humans are the most dangerous of all creatures.

Read “Outdoor Sets – Part I” and “Outdoor Sets – Part II.”