The Secrets Of Dumbledore Should Drop The Fantastic Beasts Title

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore should drop the Fantastic Beasts title from its name to rebrand the franchise. The third movie in the franchise recently announced its official title along with changing the release date from July to April 2022 and releasing a synopsis. Based on the official name and the general direction in which the series seems to be heading, The Secrets of Dumbledore is no longer a Fantastic Beasts story.

The first film, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, was based on the book of the same name. It was initially one of the textbooks used at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter universe and J.K. Rowling later actually wrote it. Written by the famous wizard Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts is a detailed catalogue of the mythical, magical creatures found in the Wizarding World. The movie adaptation followed Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he went on dangerous adventures while studying and trying to safely capture magical beasts on the loose. The film made sure to keep its focus on new and exciting creatures while also expanding worldbuilding from the original Harry Potter series since it primarily took place in 1920s America, long before Voldemort rose to power.

However, there was also a second story unfolding with Colin Farrell’s Graves (really Gellert Grindelwald) and Ezra Miller’s Credence Barebone, at times feeling like two separate movies. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald completely moved the focus away from Newt Scamander by introducing so many new characters and storylines that Scamander no longer seemed like the protagonist. Instead, the sequel was more concerned with setting up Albus Dumbledore’s (Jude Law) famous conflict with Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), which the original Harry Potter series only ever really hinted at. This next installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise seems to be continuing the trend of sidelining Scamander’s magizoologist adventures in favor of the impending Dumbledore and Grindelwald fight. For that reason, the series should just do away with the “Fantastic Beasts” part of the title for good.

Fantastic Beast 3’s Marketing Hints At The Franchise Truth

The official title card for the third movie has a very small Fantastic Beasts label at the top. The Secrets Of Dumbledore portion is significantly larger, with the name Dumbledore the largest of all. This design suggests something that the previous film set in motion—establishing Dumbledore as the true central character of the franchise. In The Crimes Of Grindelwald, Dumbledore only really appeared in a few scenes to guide Scamander in completing tasks he supposedly could not do himself, but Dumbledore stole every Fantastic Beasts scene he was in. It makes sense to want to further flesh out one of the most complex and iconic characters from the original series, but not at the expense of the actual main character.

The original Harry Potter series only ever discussed Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s falling out in passing. The former friends, who Rowling has stated in interviews used to be more than friends at one time, split ways as Grindelwald gained more and more power and influence. Eventually, Dumbledore had no choice but to confront him since he was the only wizard strong enough to do so. The two of them engaged in an intense duel that led to Grindelwald’s arrest and Dumbledore’s widespread fame. The franchise seems eager to capitalize on such a major event that has never been properly shown on screen or laid out in print before. The Crimes Of Grindelwald teased Dumbledore’s upcoming confrontation with the Dark Wizard, which The Secrets Of Dumbledore will continue or even deliver on. Unfortunately, doing so will reduce Scamander’s importance even more.

The Secrets Of Dumbledore Isn’t A Fantastic Beasts Movie

This third installment is no longer a Fantastic Beasts movie. Mythical creatures, and Newt Scamander’s study of and appreciation for them, were effectively sidelined in the sequel, and The Secrets Of Dumbledore will probably further that. The story is no longer about Scamander; he’s essentially in the way of his own franchise. The official movie description for The Secrets Of Dumbledore explains that Dumbledore sends Scamander and others on a mission to help him in his quest to stop Grindelwald. In other words, the protagonist will be going on a side journey while the real star of Fantastic Beasts, Dumbledore, is elsewhere. Even though Scamander will most likely be encountering fantastic beasts during this mission, the story is not about them anymore. The exploration of unknown creatures has been replaced with Dumbledore’s infamous duel and the growing darkness in the Wizarding World.

Although the minute details of this duel have never been shared, leaving the movie free to add in Scamander and his beasts, the magizoologist’s involvement was never mentioned in the Harry Potter series. So, incorporating Scamander too much into Dumbledore’s fight with Grindelwald would essentially be retconning Harry Potter, but not incorporating him enough makes him all but useless in a film meant to be about him. No doubt The Secrets Of Dumbledore will continue to jump back and forth between these two extremes, never really settling on either.

Newt Scamander’s Adventures Deserved Their Own Story

Newt Scamander deserved his own adventure series. When Fantastic Beasts focused on expanding the Wizarding World by introducing American wizard culture and new mythical beings, the series breathed fresh air into a long-established world. The narrative lost much of its charm when it moved its focus away from magizoology; Newt’s story was colorful and magical but the other storylines were dark, even bordering on bleak. Adding so many other elements and plot threads to the franchise has left the story rather muddled and detracted from its original purpose. Instead of a lighthearted narrative about never-before-seen creatures and unlikely heroes, Fantastic Beasts has become another dark story about betrayal, sacrifice, and the fate of the Wizarding World. The Secrets Of Dumbledore is set up to become just another Harry Potter mainline movie, and it would make more sense to separate it from Fantastic Beasts.

From the start, it seemed that Warner Bros. wasn’t confident in a standalone franchise about Newt Scamander’s magical adventures that didn’t have multiple ties to the previous Harry Potter movies, and the result was a split movie. The first two Fantastic Beasts films are torn between embracing their roots in colorful magizoology or exploring the darkness of Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s conflict. Because these two elements are so fundamentally different in tone as well as story, they do not mesh well together in a single movie. The remaining films in the franchise would benefit from distancing themselves from Dumbledore’s past and returning to Scamander’s struggles fitting into a world that did not care much about him, splitting into two separate mini franchises. That way, viewers who want to see more of the quirky magizoologist can get what they want while those who want to see the tale of Dumbledore and Grindelwald can, too. The Harry Potter universe is big enough for both – if the studio can settle on the story it wants to tell in each movie. Perhaps Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore will change its narrative direction despite these signs to the contrary.