After nearly three years of waiting, the title of the next installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise has finally been revealed. The Fantastic Beasts Twitter account announced on Sept. 22 that the name of the film would be “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”
However, with the reemergence of this saga comes the reemergence of the accompanying controversy. A multitude of reasons as to why viewers should boycott this movie are being debated, and some fans even question whether or not the franchise should continue.
One of the contributing factors is the ratings of the previous movies. The first in the saga, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” was a refreshing visit back to the world of magic.
When it was released in 2016, it had been five years since the release of the final Harry Potter installment, “The Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” Fans enjoyed the movie that explored more of the magical world and the creatures that lived within, and the film received a rating of 74% on the review website Rotten Tomatoes.
In stark contrast was its sequel, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” This movie had a far more complex, even confusing, plot. Critics found the movie so bad that it earned only a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If the franchise was struggling so much, can viewers trust that this third movie will be any different than the last?
The other factor that “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” has going against it is that its creator. J.K. Rowling, who authored the Harry Potter series and has written the screenplays for the movies of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, found herself under serious fire during the summer of 2020.
On June 6, 2020, Rowling tweeted, “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
The implications of this tweet have caused many to brand Rowling as transphobic. However, fans found Rowling problematic long before this tweet. In the Harry Potter series, she portrayed a race of creatures, house-elves, as overall happy with their enslavement.
The few characters of color she included often were reduced to racist stereotypes, such as Cho Chang, an Asian student placed in the “smart” house, Ravenclaw.
A third, and probably the most controversial, aspect of this franchise is its involvement with Johnny Depp. In the first two movies, Depp portrayed the antagonist, Grindelwald. However, Depp’s reputation was greatly tarnished by his divorce from his ex-wife Amber Heard.
According to a story from the Guardian, after losing a libel case over claims from Heard, Depp left the franchise “after being asked to resign by Warner Bros.” However, Heard has not been asked to leave her role in the Aquaman franchise, produced by the same studio, a contrast with which many followers of Depp have taken issue.
Only time will tell whether loyalty to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will triumph over controversy. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” will premiere on April 15, 2022.
