Another dose of magic is on the horizon: Warner Bros. has unveiled the trailer for The Secrets of Dumbledore, the next installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. A prequel to the beloved Harry Potter series, the film will hit theaters on April 15th, 2022.
As its title implies, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore follows the tribulations of future Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore (long before The Boy Who Lived received his acceptance letter). The clip shows Dumbledore (Jude Law) assembling a team of wizards, witches, and one Muggle in an effort to stop dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) from seizing control of the wizarding world. With Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) leading the efforts, they encounter a slew of magical beasts as Grindelwald’s brigade of followers grows.
Mikkelsen was selected to replace Johnny Depp as Grindelwald after the latter actor was forced out of the franchise amid a legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over alleged misconduct. After filing for divorce from Depp in 2016, Heard accused her ex-husband of abusive behavior. Depp strongly denied the allegations, insisting it was actually Heard who was abusive against him. While they eventually reached a settlement out of court, in early 2019 Depp sued Heard for defamation after she published a Washington Post op-ed in which she discussed being a survivor of domestic abuse.
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The dueling legal battle gave newfound attention to Depp and Heard’s relationship, causing some fans of the Fantastic Beasts franchise to launch a petition in 2019 calling for Depp’s firing. The allegations also led Disney to write Depp out of the Pirates of the Caribbean reboot.
Additional Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore stars include Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, and Katherine Waterston. David Yates — who helmed the last four films in the Harry Potter series — returns as director, while J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay. Watch the trailer below.
The Secrets of Dumbledore follows 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
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