Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Trailer: War Is Brewing In The Wizarding World

The Wizarding World of "Harry Potter" is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a film franchise this year, and after four years without any movies, it's finally coming back to the big screen in 2022 with "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore." Now, the first official trailer for the long-awaited sequel is here.

The third entry in the "Fantastic Beasts" branch of the Wizarding World franchise has had its release date shuffled back and forth due to the pandemic and the recasting of its central villain, Gellert Grindelwald. Mads Mikkelsen, star of NBC's "Hannibal" and this year's Oscar-winning "Another Round," is taking over as Grindelwald. Joining him are returning cast members Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, and Jude Law.

Warner Bros. is moving back to a 45-day theatrical window for its new releases in 2022, so you'll need to head to the multiplex and buy a ticket if you want to see "The Secrets of Dumbledore" when it first comes out in April. In the meantime, if you want to get a glimpse of the Magizoology that's in store for you, check out the trailer below.

It's hard to believe that it's been four years already since we last caught up with these characters. At this point, the pre-Covid world of 2018 — with its tweet-aholic presidents and its billion-dollar box-office hits — feels like a lifetime ago. "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" was the 10th highest-grossing film of that year, so it was still a commercial success, but it's also where the tide of critical opinion turned against the series in a significant way.

"The Crimes of Grindelwald" was the first Wizarding World movie to earn a green splat on Rotten Tomatoes. It currently has a 36% rating, whereas its precursor and the next lowest entry, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," has a 74% rating.

"The Secrets of Dumbledore" will need to restore some of the goodwill that the franchise lost after "Grindelwald" and the controversies surrounding its star, Johnny Depp, and its screenwriter, J.K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter. If nothing else, "Dumbledore" has got that Mads momentum behind it, but whether that will be enough to keep "Fantastic Beasts" from going the way of all inferior prequels remains to be seen. 

Here's the synopsis 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, 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?

"Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" is in theaters on April 15, 2022.