Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore – Depp Exit & Future

Few movie franchises generate as much behind-the-scenes drama as the Wizarding World. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore arrived in April 2022 carrying the weight of a recast villain, a stalled franchise, and questions about its legendary hero.

Box office worldwide: $405 million ·
Rotten Tomatoes score: 46% ·
Release date: April 15, 2022 ·
Director: David Yates ·
Grindelwald actor: Mads Mikkelsen (replaced Johnny Depp) ·
Budget: $200 million

Here are the key facts at a glance:

Why did Johnny Depp not play Grindelwald in The Secrets of Dumbledore?

The short answer: a UK libel case changed everything. In July 2020, Johnny Depp lost a high-profile libel case against The Sun newspaper, which had labeled him a “wife beater.” The judge ruled that the newspaper’s claim was “substantially true” based on evidence presented during the trial. Four months later, Warner Bros. asked Depp to resign from the role, and he agreed.

Depp announced his departure in a November 2020 Instagram post, writing that Warner Bros had asked him to resign and that he had “respected and agreed to” the request (Business Insider (Entertainment News)). He also confirmed he received his full $16 million salary despite not appearing in the final cut.

Who replaced Johnny Depp as Grindelwald?

• Mads Mikkelsen was cast as Gellert Grindelwald in November 2020, just days after Depp’s exit.
• Mikkelsen, known for roles in Hannibal and Casino Royale, brought his own interpretation of the dark wizard.
• The film’s screenplay does not explain or even acknowledge the change in Grindelwald’s appearance.
• Director David Yates described the recasting as “a pragmatic decision” and avoided any on-screen acknowledgment.

Mikkelsen later told Variety that the choice not to explain the replacement was “deliberate” — the audience knows what happened behind the scenes, so the film could simply move forward (Business Insider (Entertainment News)). The result: a continuity break that some viewers found jarring, but the studio clearly prioritized moving on.

Why was Fantastic Beasts 4 canceled?

Let’s be precise: Warner Bros has not officially canceled Fantastic Beasts 4. But the franchise is effectively paused, and no fourth film is in active development as of 2024. J.K. Rowling had originally announced a five-film arc back in 2016, but three installments in, the trajectory has stalled. The key factor is commercial performance: The Secrets of Dumbledore grossed $405 million worldwide on a $200 million budget (The Numbers (Box Office Analytics)) — a significant drop from the first film’s $814 million and the second’s $655 million.

Is Fantastic Beasts 4 officially canceled?

• Warner Bros has made no public statement confirming or denying a fourth film.
• In 2022, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav hinted at a “reset” of the DC and Wizarding World franchises.
• No writers, directors, or cast members have been attached to a fourth film.
• J.K. Rowling’s involvement in future projects remains a polarizing factor for the studio.

The franchise is caught in a broader Warner Bros restructuring. Following the merger with Discovery, the studio has been cutting costs and re-evaluating expensive IP. A $200 million budget with diminishing box office returns makes Fantastic Beasts a tough sell for greenlight.

What this means: The franchise’s future isn’t dead — it’s in a holding pattern. Warner Bros is waiting to see if streaming revenue, holiday merchandise sales, or a cultural resurgence makes the Wizarding World profitable enough for another theatrical bet. Right now, the math doesn’t add up.

Is Secrets of Dumbledore the last Fantastic Beasts movie?

Not officially, but practically? The signs point toward a pause if not a stop. J.K. Rowling’s initial plan was five films, covering the 1920s–1940s timeline leading into World War II and Grindelwald’s rise. But the third film ends on a note of tentative resolution: Dumbledore and Grindelwald part ways, the Blood Pact is destroyed, and Credence’s storyline reaches a conclusion. There is no cliffhanger — an unusual choice for a planned series. For more Wizarding World content, check our Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2025.

How many Fantastic Beasts films were originally planned?

• J.K. Rowling confirmed a five-film series in 2016 (BBC News (Entertainment)).
• Three films have been released: 2016, 2018, and 2022.
• The third film effectively wraps up Credence’s arc and Grindelwald’s immediate threat.
• Dumbledore’s death (from the original Harry Potter timeline) still lies decades in the future.

The catch: a fourth film would require a new narrative engine. Grindelwald’s defeat in Bhutan leaves no obvious villain, and Newt Scamander’s personal story feels resolved. The franchise would need a creative reboot to justify another $200 million entry.

Why this matters: Fans hoping for closure on the Grindelwald saga will be disappointed — the third film ends the arc prematurely. For the studio, the franchise’s value now lies in nostalgia-driven merchandising and streaming library strength, not theatrical blockbusters.

Is Albus Dumbledore LGBTQ?

The short answer: yes, J.K. Rowling confirmed this in 2007. At a Carnegie Hall event in New York, a fan asked Rowling whether Dumbledore had ever truly loved someone, and she responded that she had always considered Dumbledore to be gay. She elaborated that Dumbledore fell in love with Gellert Grindelwald in his youth and that this love — and the betrayal that followed — was the “great tragedy” of his life.

“I always thought of Dumbledore as gay.”

J.K. Rowling, Carnegie Hall event, 2007 (The Guardian (Culture))

Is Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald explicitly shown in the films?

• No explicit romantic relationship is shown on screen.
• The Secrets of Dumbledore includes the Blood Pact — a magical vow between them — and emotional scenes of longing and regret.
• David Yates, the director, has described the dynamic as “a love story” but emphasized that the film stays true to the PG-13 rating.
• Fans have criticized the franchise for “queerbaiting” — hinting at Dumbledore’s sexuality without making it explicit.

The film industry criticism is valid: for a character who has been confirmed as gay for 15 years, the Wizarding World franchise has consistently avoided showing that identity on screen. Compare this to other recent blockbusters like Eternals (2021), which featured an openly gay family — the criticism is that Warner Bros chose “hints” over representation.

“Dumbledore and Grindelwald had a very intense, passionate relationship as teenagers. They were in love. And the great tragedy of Dumbledore’s life — and the reason he carries so much guilt — is that he fell in love with someone who turned out to be a monster.”

Jude Law, discussing Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald in an interview with The New York Times, 2022

Is Credence actually Snape?

No — this fan theory has been definitively debunked by canon. The theory, popular among fans before the third film’s release, suggested that Credence Barebone (played by Ezra Miller) might be a young Severus Snape, who later appears in the Harry Potter timeline as a professor at Hogwarts. But The Secrets of Dumbledore explicitly reveals Credence’s true identity.

What is the canonical identity of Credence Barebone?

• Credence is revealed as Aurelius Dumbledore — the younger brother of Albus Dumbledore.
• Grindelwald uses this identity to manipulate Credence into attacking Dumbledore.
• Albus later confirms that Aurelius is indeed a Dumbledore, though born decades after the main Dumbledore brothers.
• The timeline — Aurelius being born in the early 1900s while Albus was born in 1881 — has been a continuity headache for fans.

The Snape theory gained traction from a superficial similarity: both characters have dark hair, a troubled upbringing, and a connection to powerful magic. But canon makes clear that Snape was born in 1960, while Credence’s story is set in the 1930s, making the timeline impossible.

The trade-off: The Credence-Aurelius reveal gives the franchise a new Dumbledore sibling but creates a timeline problem that even hardcore fans struggle to justify. It’s a narrative choice that prioritizes emotional payoff over consistency — and critics argue it weakens the Wizarding World’s internal logic.

The controversy surrounding Johnny Depp’s departure is explored in detail, along with the recast and sequel status, which confirms that the franchise will not continue with a fourth film.

Frequently asked questions

For fans wondering whether to invest time in the Wizarding World’s troubled prequel series: the answer depends on what you want. If you’re here for Newt’s creatures and David Yates’ visual flair, The Secrets of Dumbledore delivers solid entertainment. But if you’re looking for clarity on the franchise’s future, resolution on the casting controversy, or genuine LGBTQ+ representation on screen — the film leaves all three questions unanswered. For Warner Bros, the path is clear: either commit to a fourth film with a smaller budget and a clearer creative vision, or let the franchise rest as a trilogy that told a story it never quite finished telling.