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, based on a screenplay by Rowling. It is the sequel to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), the third instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series and the eleventh overall in the Wizarding World franchise. The film features an ensemble cast that 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. The 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 the verdict of the Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd court case; Mads Mikkelsen replaced him later that month. Filming took place until February 2021. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 29 March 2022, and was released in the United Kingdom on 8 April 2022 and in the United States on 15 April, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $407 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing film in the Wizarding World franchise.