The Fantastic Beasts series has been quite literally fantastic to fans of the Wizarding World. It has extended the Harry Potter universe timeline while also introducing the franchise to younger audiences today. The third Fantastic Beast installment takes the prequel's story ever further to expand the universe behind Harry Potter.
In anticipation, here's everything you need to know about Fantastic Beasts 3, from the streaming release date to trailers, cast, and more.
Fantastic Beasts 3: Plot summary
A sequel to 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is directed by David Yates, with a screenplay by JK Rowling and Steve Kloves. It sees Eddie Redmayne reprise his role as Newt Scamander. Based on Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a book that features in the Harry Potter novels, the Fantastic Beasts movies are effectively prequels to the Harry Potter storyline. The latest installment takes place in the 1930s - with the muggles and magical communities both headed to war.
Here is the official summary for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore:
"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 and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers."
How to watch and stream Fantastic Beasts 3
The movie was originally set to release on 12 November 2021. However, due to casting changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, the premiere was delayed several times. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore released on 8 April 2022 in UK cinemas; the US release date was 15 April 2022.
As for the streaming release, the movie is now available to watch on HBO Max and is also available to rent through Amazon in the US here, and for UK viewers it was made available from 31 May 2022 from Amazon here.
HBO Max
What is the best streaming device for your TV? Our top recommendation is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Also excellent are the Google Chromecast with Google TV, the Roku Express 4K, the Apple TV 4K and the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Fantastic Beasts 3: Cast and crew
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore features several returning cast members and some new faces.
The cast includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Jessica Williams, Victoria Yeates, and Jude Law. New cast members include Oliver Masucci, Richard Coyle, and Maria Fernanda Cândido. Also, Mads Mikkelsen replaces Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald.
Important characters
- Eddie Redmayne - Newt Scamander, an employee of the British Ministry of Magic who works in the Beasts Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
- Katherine Waterston - Tina Goldstein, an Auror working for the Magical Congress of the United States of America (or MACUSA for short)
- Dan Fogler - Jacob Kowalski, a No-Maj (American for Muggle) WWI veteran,
- Alison Sudol - Queenie Goldstein, Tina's sister, who, in the first movie, she worked alongside Tina in the Federal Wand Permit Bureau.
- Ezra Miller- Credence Barebone, a young man who is an Obscurial, a host to a dark magic parasite called an Obscurus.
- Callum Turner - Theseus Scamander, Newt's older brother and fellow Ministry of Magic employee.
- William Nadylam - Yusuf Kama, a French Wizard of Senegalese descent.
- Poppy Corby-Tuech - Vinda Rosier, one of Grindelwald's loyal followers.
- Jessica Williams - Professor Eulalie 'Lally' Hicks, a professor at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the American version of Hogwarts.
- Jude Law - Albus Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizards and future headmaster of Hogwarts.
- Mads Mikkelsen - Gellert Grindelwald, the main villain of the Fantastic Beasts series.
Fantastic Beasts 3: Trailers
You can watch the second full trailer at the top of this page. The first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is below.
Warner has also released a clip from the film featuring "the room we require". Could it be the magical Room of Requirement mentioned in the Harry Potter books and to feature in the upcoming game, Hogwarts Legacy (which is set approximately 50 years before the Fantastic Beasts trilogy)?
Fantastic Beasts 3: How to catch up
To prepare yourself for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, you should watch all the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies that have ever been released. Luckily, we have a neat watch order here: