Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore: Release Date, Cast And Other Things We Know

The Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore cast
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

After several years and multiple delays, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is finally coming to theaters in the spring of 2022, and will offer fans of J.K. Rowling’s sprawling Harry Potter franchise a glimpse at one of the darkest periods in the history of the Wizarding World. The third installment in the Fantastic Beasts series (though certainly not the last) will surely answer some of those burning questions we have all been asking since we last saw Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore in the extremely busy The Crimes of Grindelwald back in 2018.

But as we anxiously await the next chapter in the saga, now seems like a perfect time to take a look at what we know about Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore so far, including its release date, cast, and other vital information that everyone should know going in…

The Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore logo

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Release Date Is Set For April 15, 2022

Fans of the franchise have been waiting with bated breath for information on the theatrical release of Fantastic Beasts 3, but we’re happy to say there isn’t much time before the next chapter arrives. In September 2021 Warner Bros. finally revealed the title as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore along with a release date of April 15, 2022. However, this wasn’t the first time a date had been thrown around over the years.

In April 2019, Warner Bros. issued an official release date of November 12, 2021. Fantastic Beasts 3 was initially expected to release on November 20, 2020, then the studio gave Dune that release date (which was also delayed several times). Production on Fantastic Beasts 3 was initially delayed from starting to film July 2019, to starting instead in late fall 2019. Filming was delayed yet again to start in the spring of 2020 to match the new November 2021 release date. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened and you pretty much know the story from there.

The Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore cast

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Cast Is Led By Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law And Mads Mikkelsen

When Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is released upon the world, it will see most of the cast members from the first two movies in the series return to play their iconic characters with some new faces as well. Taking on the role of self-proclaimed magizoologist Newt Scamander is Eddie Redmayne. Also returning are Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, Ezra Miller as Credence Barbone/Aurelius Dumbledore, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Katherine Waterston as Tin Goldstein, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, and Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander.

One of the biggest stories surrounding the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has been the hiring of Mads Mikkelsen to portray Gellert Grindelwald from Johnny Depp, who stepped away from the franchise shortly after production began.

Other members of the cast include Richard Coyle, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Oliver Masucci, William Nadylam, Jessica Williams, Poppy Corby-Tuech and several others.

The Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore cast

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Follows Albus Dumbledore As He Attempts To Stop Gellert Grindelwald’s Plan To Take Control Of The Wizarding World

Following the shocking events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the Wizarding World was left in a precarious situation, and by the way Warner Bros.’ official synopsis of the third movie sounds, it doesn’t look like things are going to get better before they get worse. In fact, it looks like things are going to get much worse for everyone involved.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is set to follow Professor Albus Dumbledore as he attempts to stop Gellert Grindelwald from taking control of the Wizarding World and shaping it to meet his desires. And since it was revealed in the final moments of The Crimes of Grindelwald that the two have a blood-pact that prevents them from dueling, Dumbledore enlists Newt Scamander and a small yet fearless team to stop the dark wizard’s plan before it comes to fruition.

Newt in Fantastic Beasts

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Is Directed By David Yates

David Yates will be continuing with the franchise, potentially to the end. He started in J.K. Rowling's magical world by directing  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and continued with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies. He returned to direct the first two Potter prequel movies in the Fantastic Beasts series, and he has officially signed on to helm the third installment. In 2018, longtime producer David Heyman told CinemaBlend he'd like to see David Yates continue to direct all five films. But it sounded like it was partly up to Yates himself, and also dependent on how things played out. 

Jude Law in the Secrets of Dumbledore trailer

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Secrets Of Dumbledore Is Not The Final Movie Of The Fantastic Beasts Saga

J.K. Rowling surprised fans when she revealed that she was actually planning to write five movies for the Fantastic Beasts series. Producer David Heyman later explained that she began by expecting three films but then, as she dug deeper and started writing the first script, she realized there was a lot more story to tell and didn't think she could fit it all into three movies.

The five-film Fantastic Beasts series is expected to span from 1926 to 1945, with the final movie including the big duel between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. The second movie was set in 1927 but, as shown above, Rowling hinted at the third movie being set at least in part in the 1930s. There has been no confirmation about the third movie's timeline. Will it lead up to the start of World War II, or would that real-world war be left to play out opposite the magical one in the fourth and fifth movies? Time will tell. (Get it? Time? #classic)

But even though there are two more movies on the way, very little is known about them at this time besides the fact that it looks like the fourth installment won’t be coming for quite some time.

Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Trailer Shows The Wizarding World On The Brink Of War

In December 2021, Warner Bros. finally released the long-awaited trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and it did not disappoint. In addition to featuring some amazing references to the Harry Potter movies, the exciting display of wizarding wonder shows off what’s to be a deadly march to all-out war between the two factions led by Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. But even though Grindelwald’s forces of evil look as deadly as ever before, Newt Scamander and his team (consisting of a magizoologist, a wizard from an old family, a schoolteacher, and a Muggle) look up to the task. 

Ezra Miller in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

What Will Fantastic Beasts 3 Be Rated?

The MPAA won't reveal Fantastic Beasts 3's official rating until closer to the release date. But it's almost certainly going to be PG-13. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was rated PG-13 for "some fantasy action violence." Crimes of Grindelwald was rated PG-13 for "some sequences of fantasy action." Expect something similar for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Expect to hear more about Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore as we get closer to the film’s April 15, 2022 release. But while you wait, check out our ranking of the Harry Potter movies and don’t forget to take a glance at our 2022 movie release schedule.

Gina Carbone

Gina grew up in Massachusetts and California in her own version of The Parent Trap. She went to three different middle schools, four high schools, and three universities -- including half a year in Perth, Western Australia. She currently lives in a small town in Maine, the kind Stephen King regularly sets terrible things in, so this may be the last you hear from her.