That moment we’ve all been waiting for, the streaming release of the next iteration in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, is finally here. Dumbledore and Grindelwald will clash once again, and this time, the stakes around this fateful battle are much higher.
Dumbledore, played by Jude Law, is joined by Newt Scamander, portrayed by Eddie Redmayne. Dumbledore has Newt get a team together to take on Grindlewald, now played by Mads Mikkelsen. It’s essentially a ragtag ensemble of witches and wizards from across the wizarding world. They’re even joined by a muggle.
The forces of Grindelwald grow stronger with every passing day, and with that, Dumbledore has a choice to make. How much longer can he spend not intervening firsthand?
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDOREWarner Bros.
The issue here is twofold. First of all, Grindelwald has managed to establish himself as a legitimate political figure in the wizarding world, despite the fact that he has some very reprehensible ideas about muggles. To further complicate the matter, Dumbledore and Grindelwald made a blood pact way back in the day, preventing them from being able to duel each other. Only time will tell who will emerge the victor.
Notably missing from the film is Johnny Depp, who resigned from the film at Warner Bros.’ request after he was engulfed in scandal following the breakup to his marriage to Amber Heard. In this film, Grindelwald is played by Mikkelsen, who has more or less made a career for himself off of playing villains, so he seems like the perfect choice. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mikkelsen detailed his approach to playing Dumbledore’s former lover and current adversary. He said:
You don’t want to copy anything [Depp was] doing — that would be creative suicide. Even if [a role has] been done to perfection, you want to make it your own. But you still have to build some sort of bridge between what came before.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore will be available on HBO Max starting on May 30.
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