Warner Bros. recently dropped the official title and release date for the third installment in the Fantastic Beasts series. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is set to release on April 15, 2022. The film’s release has been moved up three months ahead of its initial release schedule in July 2022.
While some fans are thrilled that they will be seeing J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world on the big screens again, others weren’t really as hyped for the upcoming film. Instead, some took to Twitter to put their own spins on what the “Secrets of Dumbledore” really are, poking fun at the film’s official title.
Sorry but these are the REAL secrets of Dumbledore. https://t.co/1vAituzv0U pic.twitter.com/KBLodyULXc
— Andrew Farmer (@thatsajellyfish) September 23, 2021
The girls already saw me make out with Dumbledore at Ty Tea, what else is there to know? https://t.co/7lGqLjqK5B
— jeff heimbrock (@jheimbrock) September 22, 2021
Fans have commented on the choice of title for the film, with some saying that the secrets of Dumbledore had better be “those” secrets, alluding to Dumbledore being gay. It’s a jab at how Rowling had confirmed years ago that Dumbledore is canonically gay, but fans have yet to actually see the wizard clearly portrayed as such.
https://twitter.com/tomkatsumi/status/1440731795792621575?s=20
He’s a bottom https://t.co/pcRBuKGJ5I
— I’M DAWN DENBO AND THIS IS MY LOVER CINDI (@itgetsbedder) September 22, 2021
They’re really gonna make a film called The Secrets of Dumbledore and still keep him in the closet aren’t they?
(Obligatory JK Rowling is a terf) https://t.co/ty7Klx9hX5
— Jonny McGarrigle (@JonnyMcGarrigle) September 22, 2021
https://twitter.com/ChizembiS/status/1440698124360507396?s=20
Is the secret that he's gay? https://t.co/8Uvfi1OD8Z
— Erica (@bigratsgoboom) September 22, 2021
The secret: https://t.co/2fOMbsuwvT pic.twitter.com/pAFCXaF1Tu
— Kevin Jacobsen (@Kevin_Jacobsen) September 22, 2021
Dumbledore just really has that one big secret…
And I for one am hoping that means this is a surprise rom-com. https://t.co/1p9t0nUCZT
— Corndair (@Corndair) September 22, 2021
is he…you know… https://t.co/DODHM5PvPs
— Emily Palmer Heller (@emilypheller) September 22, 2021
The Harry Potter series has been popular for years, but now it is experiencing a divide among its fans, with some not being pleased with author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic stance. In 2020, the author had expressed her views on transgender identity, claiming that transgender people are just confused or misguided when it comes to their gender.
This issue sparked controversy, with many of her fans even questioning their loyalty to her works. Even actors from the film adaptations of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts — including Daniel Radcliffe and Eddie Redmayne — have expressed their support for trans rights and opposed Rowling’s views.
Aside from the issue with Rowling, fans were also not very happy with Warner’s decision to recast Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald, the main antagonist of the Fantastic Beasts series, was portrayed by Johnny Depp for the first two installments, but in November 2020 Depp had confirmed that Warner Bros. had asked him to resign from reprising his role in the third film.
The decision to recast Grindelwald for the third film was largely influenced by Depp’s issue with his ex-wife Amber Heard, as well as changes in operations in Warner Bros. when AT&T merged with Warner’s parent company Time Warner.
Depp had become a controversial figure due to abuse allegations by Heard. While Warner and Rowling had defended Depp at the start, the merger had no tolerance for controversy, thus leading to Warner’s decision to have Depp resign from the third film.
David Yates is directing the film, while Rowling and Steve Kloves are in charge of the script for The Secrets of Dumbledore. The script is based on a screenplay penned by Rowling. Jude Law is reprising his role as Dumbledore, while Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander. Meanwhile, Mads Mikkelsen has taken over the role of Gellert Grindelwald after Johnny Depp’s departure from the film.
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