Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a 2022 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by J. K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. The sequel to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), it is the third instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series and the eleventh overall in the Wizarding World franchise. Its cast includes Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Katherine Waterston, and Mads Mikkelsen. Set several years after the events of its predecessor, the film sees Albus Dumbledore tasking Newt Scamander and his allies with a mission that takes them into the heart of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald‘s army.
Always intended to be “at least” a trilogy, the third Fantastic Beasts film was slated for release in November 2020, before it was pushed back to July 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the main cast from the first two films confirmed their involvement in March 2020. Principal photography was set to begin in early 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic, eventually commencing in September 2020. Johnny Depp, who portrayed Grindelwald in previous films, was originally set to return and filmed one scene for the film, but was asked to resign in November 2020 following a court case finding against him regarding allegations he committed domestic violence; Mads Mikkelsen replaced him later that month. Filming took place until February 2021.
The Secrets of Dumbledore premiered in London on 29 March 2022, and was theatrically released on 8 April 2022 in the United Kingdom and in the United States on 15 April by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics, though it was considered an improvement over its immediate predecessor, and grossed $405 million worldwide against a budget of $200 million, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2022, but the lowest-grossing film of the Wizarding World franchise.
