Fandom is a funny thing. If you love something enough, whether it be a superhero, a wizard, or any other pop culture icon, you can forgive some pretty egregious things. You know, like the idea of an entire franchise created by an openly transphobic author who spouts hateful things on social media frequently. But, by golly, people love Harry Potter and the Wizarding World, and they’re eagerly anticipating the release of the new film, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”
The new teaser for the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ threequel isn’t so much a hint at what’s to come in the new film. Instead, it’s more of damage control, after a year or two of people (rightfully) criticizing author J.K. Rowling after her terrible social media posts about trans people. So, in the two-minute teaser, 90 seconds is devoted to reminding people that they love the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise and the Wizarding World. And don’t forget, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is part of that world!
In addition to the PR nightmare that is Rowling, there’s also the issue that the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films aren’t very good. Even diehard fans weren’t happy with the previous film in the franchise, so this teaser is also a good way to remind people that just because you didn’t like parts of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films, this is still canon in the ‘Potterverse,’ so you gotta buy your tickets soon! (Just don’t think about how a portion of that ticket cost is going to an author with some extremely problematic, arguably hateful views. It’s part of Harry Potter’s story! You love that guy!)
Oh yeah, and all of this doesn’t even touch on the Johnny Depp of it all. But hey, you get your first look at Mads Mikkelsen in that role, so there’s that.
After that long digression, it’s completely up to you if you want to support the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ threequel, ‘The Secrets of Dumbledore.’ Sure, it’s co-written by Rowling. And yes, she is still very much making money off its success. But who am I to tell you what to support and not support? That’s up to you. However, remember your excitement for ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and Harry Potter lore when you’re wondering why people support films from Mel Gibson, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Johnny Depp, Gina Carano, or any of the other problematic Hollywood figures that are constantly brought up.
Fandom, as I said, is an interesting thing, huh?
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” arrives in theaters in the UK on April 8, 2022, and in the US on April 15, 2022. You can watch the “teaser” below: