Fantastic Beasts 3 gets new title and release date

The third Fantastic Beasts film has been given a new title and release date, studio Warner Bros announced.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore will arrive in cinemas in April 2022.

The Harry Potter spin-off had previously been listed to launch three months later in July.

It will see the return of David Yates, director of the later four Harry Potter films and the first two Fantastic Beasts movies.

Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander will join Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore in the fight against evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has taken over the latter role from Johnny Depp, who departed the franchise after losing a High Court battle against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

She accused him of domestic abuse, allegations a judge found to be “substantially correct”.

Also starring in The Secrets Of Dumbledore are Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller and Callum Turner.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling co-wrote the script alongside Steve Kloves.

Two further Fantastic Beasts films are in the pipeline.