The Wizarding World of Harry Potter started to connect with the Fantastic Beasts films in 2018’s The Crimes of Grindelwald, thanks to reintroducing the world to Albus Dumbledore and Hogwarts. With an ending that tied Jude Law’s younger version of the future headmaster of the magical school pretty tightly to the adventures ahead, some dark times looked to be ahead. Those feelings are only confirmed through Fantastic Beasts 3’s trailer, as it promises a great wizarding war, along with some choice Harry Potter references.
Recently titled as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, we see and hear all of the signs that the conflict brewing since the first entry is building to a fever pitch; thanks to this trailer released by Warner Bros. Labeled as “the most dangerous wizard in over a century,” Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is ready to fight against Muggles and Mudbloods alike. Just as he’s been building an army, Albus Dumbledore has drafted his own team of warriors, which consists of, as Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner) flippantly puts it “a magizoologist, his indispensable assistant, a wizard descendant from a very old family, a schoolteacher, and a Muggle.” Most of those team members are new characters, but you obviously know that the magizoologist is Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander, and the Muggle is the lovable Jacob Kowalski, played by Dan Fogler.
While there’s tons of new characters introduced, and a seemingly separated Dumbledore going off to take care of his own business, a lot of Harry Potter staples appear in the footage from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Just in this first trailer alone, we see a look at students of the past playing Quidditch, and Albus Dumbledore himself summoning the Room of Requirement. Perhaps the most important link of all is our look into the Hogsmeade of the past, and what looks like a younger Aberforth Dumbledore, played by Chilling Adventure of Sabrina’s own devilishly charming Richard Coyle. Of course, I say “looks like” because, as you remember from the end of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, there’s more Dumbledore siblings than we thought; so one can never be too sure.
That previous film did get a bit deeper into the mythology of the Fantastic Beasts world, with not a lot of magical creature action to justify that title. However, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore looks to be getting back to that very sort of thing, thanks to Newt’s trusty Bowtruckle being featured front and center here. Not to mention, the crab dance sequence between Newt and brother Theseus, and the gigantic scorpion-like creature that pops up, really hammer home that it’s not just about war in this new adventure.
Out of the projected five adventures in the Fantastic Beasts cycle, The Secrets of Dumbledore looks like it could be the best of both worlds. Wizarding history and magizoology look to have an equally important shake in our latest trip into the world that so many fans have made so popular over 20 years of filmmaking. Plus, for some reason, Jacob is being trusted with a magical wand of his own! Whether it’s a fake wand, or there’s something magical hiding in this baker’s past, is up for discussion. Maybe Dumbledore’s secrets don’t only apply to his own family and actions.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore weaves its spell on audiences, only in theaters, on April 8, 2022. If wizards aren’t your thing, and you just popped in to see more Mads Mikkelsen action, that’s perfectly alright. You can always seek out something new and exciting through the 2022 release schedule, which doesn’t require magical powers to enjoy.
