The major theatrical release this week is FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE; the 11thfilm in the Wizarding World franchise, which began way back in 2001 with the first HARRY POTTER film. Here is everything you need to know about this magical movie.
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT? – THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE is the third film in the FANTASTIC BEASTS series, which began in 2016. The second film, sub-titled THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD, arrived in 2018. This third film continues the adventures of magical zoologist Newt Scamander (reprised by Eddie Redmayne), assisting Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), in an opposition against dark wizard Gellart Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). The time period is several years after the events of the second film.
WHO ELSE IS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA? – In addition to returning cast members Redmayne and Law, they are joined by Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Katherine Waterston, and Jessica Williams. Mads Mikkelson takes over the role of Grindelwald from Johnny Depp, who played the character in the first two films.
WHO IS BEHIND THE CAMERA? – This third entry is directed by David Yates, who has directed every Wizarding World film since HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX in 2007. The script is written by HARRY POTTER founder J.K. Rowling, and Steve Kloves. Kloves has written all of the POTTER films.
RANDOM FACTS – At 2 hours and 22 minutes, this will be the longest film in the Wizarding World franchise * Mads Mikkelson played Hannibal Lecter on TV’S HANNIBAL, making him the fourth actor from that franchise to appear in the Wizarding World. The others are Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, and Rhys Ifans * Katherine Waterston is the daughter of actor Sam Waterston, who gained fame in TV’S LAW AND ORDER * The film is set in the 1930’s, with the story leading up to the wizarding world’s involvement in WWII and exploring magical communities in Bhutan, Germany, and China * DUMBLEDORE is the third of a planned five films in the FANTASTIC BEASTS mini-franchise *
WHAT TO EXPECT - The first thing we can expect is excellent performances by the cast; the casting on this mini-franchise has been excellent so far, in particular Eddie Redmayne and Dan Fogler, so our characters will be well-served. Behind the camera, David Yates has a long-standing relationship with creator J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros., and this has led to a pattern of correcting mistakes from previous movies. The second film, THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD, had many issues including way too much crammed in. If lessons are learned, we can hopefully expect some streamlining and back-to-basics storytelling. The FANTASTIC BEASTS series was originally announced as five films, but the amount of story crammed into GRINDELWALD gave the feeling that deal has been altered. If that be true, DUMBLEDORE just may serve as a trilogy-capper. The last two films have spent ages of time on the Obscurus storyline (a magical, deadly parasite), and it would be a step in the right direction (and a relief), to see that put to bed and onto other magical worlds.
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FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE opens April 14th in limited showings, and full release on April 15th.
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