Fantastic Beasts 3 gets official title, new release date

You haven't seen the last of the wizarding world. The third Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them movie is indeed happening, and now has both an official title and a new release date.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will now hit theaters on April 15, 2022. This is a bump up from its previously scheduled release on July 15.

Like the previous two Fantastic Beasts films that star Eddie Redmayne as creature-obsessed wizard Newt Scamander, The Secrets of Dumbledore will be directed by David Yates and based on a screenplay by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. But this time, Mads Mikkelsen will take over the villainous role of Gellert Grindelwald from Johnny Depp.

Both Rowling and Yates defended Depp's casting in the past, but then in November it became impossible to shrug off the domestic abuse allegations against him by ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp, who denies the allegations, had tried to sue British newspaper The Sun for publishing them, but a court sided with the newspaper, ruling that the claims of physical abuse were "substantially true." Warner Bros. then asked Depp to resign from the role, which he did, and Mikkelsen was cast as his replacement.

"There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do," Mikkelsen told EW in December. "At the same time, I also have to make it my own."

Look out for the results next April, as Fantastic Beasts franchise comes back for round three. In addition to Mikkelsen's take on Grindelwald, this title seems to indicate fans should also expect to see more from Jude Law's Albus Dumbledore.

Here's the official description:

"Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?"

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