The next major entry in the Wizarding World is very nearly here. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is set to open on April 15. And while the movie takes place decades before the Harry Potter films, Draco Malfoy himself, Tom Felton, is going to be a big part of the new film’s release, as he’ll be hosting the premiere and interviewing the cast.
Tom Felton, the lifelong Slytherin, has released a video on Instagram where he updates fans on all things witch and wizard, but mostly the parts that he himself will be directly involved in. Felton is set to co-host the world premiere of the new Fantastic Beasts film in London on March 29. In addition, he’s set to interview the cast of the movie in a “very special location” on the brand new Wizarding World TikTok on March 30.
Those actors that grew up in the Harry Potter movies may not have played those roles for years, but none of them will ever be entirely free of that franchise. Felton has seemed to be largely happy continuing his association with the Wizarding World and promoting its various expansions from the additional movies to the Harry Potter store.
And if there’s one thing that’s clear, the Wizarding World as a larger franchise wants to keep those connections to the original movies as strong as possible. While the first two Fantastic Beasts movies weren’t exactly flops, neither has taken off in quite the same way as the earlier franchise.
We’ve seen a distinct shift between Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and The Crimes of Grindelwald in the way the second movie made a point to make stronger connections to the world of Harry Potter and the trailer for the third movie seems to be continuing that trend.
The title of the new movie, The Secrets of Dumbledore, certainly brings the movie’s focus to a character who didn’t even appear in the first movie. Dumbledore isn’t the character this franchise is supposed to be about, but he will certainly be taking on a larger role in this new blockbuster.
It’s been almost four years since the release of the second Fantastic Beasts movie. That’s a long time for a major franchise, even with the pandemic delays. The less than stellar reception of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald resulted in the decision to take some extra time with part three. Unfortunately, that delay walked Fantastic Beasts 3 right into the mouth of the pandemic. At this point the question is, has the long delay built up extra anticipation for the next Fantastic Beasts movie, or has the world largely moved on from the franchise?
