Despite Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald being the lowest financial point for the Harry Potter series, the Wizarding World is going to keep on trucking as Pottermore just reported that the third movie in the prequel series has been given a release date: November 12, 2021.
Ron Sanders, President of Worldwide Theatrical Distribution and Home Entertainment, made the following statement along with the announcement:
“J.K. Rowling created an awe-inspiring universe that has captivated people of all ages, taking us on an extraordinary magical journey. Warner Bros. is so proud to be the cinematic home of the Wizarding World and is excited about the future of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise. We look forward to bringing the third chapter of the five-film series to audiences around the globe in November 2021.”
The Chairman of Warner Bros. added, “We are incredibly excited about and have confidence in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series. We all believe this release date will give the filmmakers time and space to allow their artistry to truly flourish and deliver the best possible film to our fans.”
We at The Mary Sue have been hard on the previous installments of the Fantastic Beasts series for multiple reasons, from Johnny Depp’s involvement to the weird racial metaphors/allegories that just end up being racist, to the handling of Dumbledore’s homosexuality, and to the way J.K. Rowling is attempting to tie everything together. Still, most of us love Harry Potter, and the franchise has been a huge part of our lives. It’s not one that we have abandoned or turned our backs on—I read Harry Potter to my niece last month—but the things we love can’t be beyond criticism, especially when they don’t live up to their core tenets.
For me, even the first Fantastic Beasts movie didn’t really know what it stood for. Harry Potter is, at its core, a classic story of good versus evil, with an orphaned young boy finding out he has a great destiny. As the series expanded and added layers, shades of grey, it evolved into a powerful children’s book series that dealt with prejudice in a distant way. We know that the Death Eaters are supposed to be like the KKK and Nazis, but through the fantastical setting, there was a distance between our world and the Wizarding World (unless we get meta).
Crimes of Grindelwald completely shattered that illusion and exposed how Rowling, despite what I do still believe are good intentions, does not really know how to truly create an inclusive, international Wizarding World. More so, by focusing on and choosing to highlight Grindelwald’s charisma, Rowling has made the same mistake as many people, assuming that a monster has to be “cool” to be a leader. Instead of treating Grindelwald like a monster who uses fear and paranoia to galvanize his followers, she gives him a legitimate point, adding validity to his overarching prejudice that hurts the allegorical aspect.
I hope, if we do get all five movies that were planned, that the series is able to really grow up. Rowling is talented, but there’s no shame in having other writers craft this story with her. Whatever happens next could potentially fix everything, or make it worse. I’m rooting for the former, because I don’t want Harry Potter or Rowling to fail; I just want them to rise to the occasion.
(via Pottermore, image: Warner Bros.)
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