The third “Fantastic Beasts” movie will be called “The Secrets of Dumbledore” and is being released three months earlier.
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” will see Eddie Redmayne return as Magizoologist Newt Scamander and Jude Law as Professor Albus Dumbledore, while Mads Mikkelsen is taking over from Johnny Depp as the villainous Gellert Grindelwald.
The synopsis teases: "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?"
The follow-up to 2016's “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and 2018's “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is due to hit theatres on April 15, 2022.
The third film was originally slated for release on November 12, 2021, but after Depp's departure and the Covid-19 pandemic, Warner Bros. moved the date back to July 15, 2022, so it will now arrive three months earlier.
Meanwhile, Mikkelsen recently admitted he would have “loved to have talked to” Depp about replacing him in the blockbuster fantasy franchise.
The 58-year-old Hollywood star exited the film series earlier this year when he lost his libel trial against The Sun newspaper - who branded him a "wife-beater" due to allegations about his marriage to Amber Heard - and though he’s aware the casting reshuffle was “controversial”, the former Bond villain tried to pay no attention to the speculation surrounding his predecessor.
He said: “I mean, obviously, they were going to do the film, and obviously he was not involved any more.
“But I didn’t have a dog in that fight. And I don’t know what happened [in his private life], and I don’t know if it was fair, him losing the job, but I just knew that the show was going on, and I would’ve loved to have talked to him about it if I had the chance, but I just don’t know him in that sense.
“But they called me and they were obviously in a hurry, and I loved the script and so said yes. And I know it was controversial for many people, but that’s just the way it plays out once in a while.”
The “Casion Royale” star wanted to put his own take on Grindelwald as he thinks it would be “creative suicide” to just mimic Depp's performance.
He added: "I didn’t want to copy what Johnny had done. I think he’s a masterful actor, so copying him would’ve been creative suicide.
“I had to figure out something that was definitely my own, and yet also act as a bridge to what he had done.
“My take is different, and the look is a little different, but we’ll have to wait for the film’s release [next year] to find out.”
David Yates is directing the movie from J.K. Rowling and “Harry Potter” scribe Steve Kloves' script.
The flick will also star the likes of Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol and Jessica Williams.