For Potterheads around the globe, the Fantastic Beasts series has been a welcome return to the wizarding world we know and love. And that world is getting bigger with the upcoming movie Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

The third movie in the series and a sequel to 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts 3 is directed by David Yates, with a screenplay by J. K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. The film will see the return of Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, with a dangerous new mission. Inspired by Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a companion book to her massively popular Harry Potter novels, the Fantastic Beasts franchise works as a prequel to the Harry Potter movies. The series explores the history of the Wizarding World, involving many important figures. The new entry takes the action to the 1930s, with war looming on the horizon for both the muggle and magical communities.

Based on all that we've heard so far about the movie, it promises an exciting watch with high-stakes and plenty of wonderful magic. So here's everything we know so far about Fantastic Beasts 3, from release date and filming updates to cast, characters, and plot information.

Related:David Yates Still Committed to Directing All 5 'Fantastic Beasts' Movies, According to Katherine Waterston

Watch the Fantastic Beasts 3 Trailer

Warner Bros released the final trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore on February 28, 2022. The trailer teases the Wizarding World at the brink of a massive war, with Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore at the center of it. Newt Scamander and his makeshift team of wizards and muggles are recruited on a quest to stop the dark wizard Grindelwald from taking control of the world of witches and wizards and of course the titular fantastic beasts.

What Is Fantastic Beasts 3's Release Date?

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Image via Warner Bros.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is currently set to premiere in the United States on April 15, 2022. The movie will be coming out a bit earlier in the UK, arriving in theaters on April 8, 2022. And for those of you who prefer watching movies at home, the film is also set to arrive on HBO Max 45 days after its theatrical premiere.

The threequel was originally set to be released on November 12, 2021. However, due to casting changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, the premiere was first pushed to July 15, 2022, and then brought up to the current date.

Who Is in Fantastic Beasts 3's Cast?

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Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore features a number of returning cast members, as well as some new additions. The cast for the movie includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Jessica Williams, Fiona Glascott, Victoria Yeates, and Jude Law.

New cast members include Oliver Masucci, Richard Coyle, Dave Wong, and Maria Fernanda Cândido. Additionally, Mads Mikkelsen will be taking over as Gellert Grindelwald, replacing Johnny Depp.

Related:Katherine Waterston Takes Us From Growing Up With an Actor Parent to Leading 'The World to Come'

Who Are the Important Characters in Fantastic Beasts 3?

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Image via Warner Bros.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will see the return of all our favorite characters from the franchise. Here's a quick rundown of the most important ones:

Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, an employee of the British Ministry of Magic working in the Beasts Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Newt is a self-proclaimed magizoologist. Despite being generally ostracized by the British Wizarding Community at large, Newt is a close friend of Albus Dumbledore's. Victoria Yeates plays Newt's assistant, Bunty.

Katherine Waterston plays Tina Goldstein, an Auror working for the Magical Congress of the United States of America (or MACUSA for short). Those who've read the book would know that she will eventually become Newt's wife.

Dan Fogler appears as Jacob Kowalski, a No-Maj (American for Muggle) veteran who fought in World War I. Jacob owns a bakery and is a good friend of Newt, as well as being the former lover of Tina's sister Queenie.

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Image via Warner Bros.

Alison Sudol plays Queenie Goldstein, Tina's vivacious sister. In the first movie, she worked alongside Tina in the Federal Wand Permit Bureau. Despite her easygoing attitude, she's actually a powerful witch and a natural Legilimens (basically a magical mind-reader). She joined Grindelwald in the previous film, with the hope of making her dream of marrying Jacob come true.

Ezra Miller appears as Credence Barebone, a young man who has had a terrible childhood, being horribly abused by his adoptive mother, Mary-Lou Barebone. Credence is an Obscurial, a host to a dark magic parasite called an Obscurus with vast destructive powers. At the end of the second film, Grindelwald claimed that he is Albus Dumbledore's long-lost relative (possibly brother) Aurelius Dumbledore and that Albus would try to kill him. Credence, or Aurelius if that really is his true name, is currently part of Grindelwald's army.

Callum Turner plays Theseus Scamander, Newt's older brother and fellow Ministry of Magic employee. He is a war hero and a celebrated member of Britain's magical community, constantly trying to get Newt to try and be better accepted into society. He was engaged to Leta Lestrange, who died sacrificing her life to save the Scamander brothers in the previous film.

William Nadylam plays Yusuf Kama, a French Wizard of Senegalese descent and ally of Newt's who is also Leta's half-brother.

Poppy Corby-Tuech plays Vinda Rosier, one of Grindelwald's most loyal followers.

Jessica Williams appears as Professor Eulalie "Lally" Hicks, a professor at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the American counterpart to Hogwarts.

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Image via Warner Bros.

Jude Law appears as Albus Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizards of all time and future headmaster of Hogwarts. During the time of the movie, he is a professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at the school and an extremely influential figure in the British Wizarding Community. Dumbledore is Grindelwald's former friend and clear rival but they cannot duel each other as they had made a blood pact when they were teenagers.

Mads Mikkelsen plays Gellert Grindelwald, the primary villain of the Fantastic Beasts series. Grindelwald is a powerful dark wizard who wishes to create a world where wizards rule over muggles. His actions are the true driving force for the franchise's stories and would one day pave the way for another Dark Lord, the deadly Lord Voldemort.

Besides these characters, the movie will also feature Oliver Masucci as Head of the International Confederation of Wizards along with Richard Coyle and Maria Fernanda Cândido in as-yet-undisclosed roles.

When is Fantastic Beasts 3 Filming?

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Image via Warner Bros.

Principal photography on Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was initially supposed to begin on March 16, 2020, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, production had to be postponed. It was only in September 2020 that filming could officially commence, with all the necessary safety precautions in place.

Despite the safety guidelines, filming was suspended again at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in the UK on February 3, 2021, after a crew member tested positive for COVID-19. Production finally wrapped later that month with James Newton Howard, the movie's composer, confirming the end of filming.

Related:'Fantastic Beasts 3': Mads Mikkelsen Talks Replacing Johnny Depp and His Version of Grindelwald

Will Fantastic Beasts 3 Have a Sequel?

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Image via Warner Bros.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will not be the last story in the series, as there will be at least two more movies in the franchise. Rowling announced in 2016 that the Fantastic Beasts series would consist of five films so there's definitely plenty more for fans to look forward to after this one. Of course, we don't know what those movies will be about yet but rest assured that we'll be seeing a lot more of Newt Scamander even after Fantastic Beasts 3.

When and Where is Fantastic Beasts 3 Set?

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Image via Warner Bros.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is set in the time leading up to the start of World War II, specifically the 1930s. The Second World War was also concurrent with the most intense part of the Global Wizarding War, which was fought in the shadows between Grindelwald's followers and the various ministries of magic. The movie will take Newt across the globe, interacting with magical communities in the UK and US as well as Bhutan, Germany, and China. Expect an international adventure with wizards and witches across the world preparing themselves for the inevitable conflict.

What Is the Plot of Fantastic Beasts 3?

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Image via Warner Bros.

The Fantastic Beasts franchise has been leading up to the climactic battle between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, a duel that will be talked about for ages to come. But so far, Dumbledore has stayed out of the conflict, due to the blood pact that prevents him from facing Grindelwald in direct combat. Fantastic Beasts 3 will see that impasse tested as Grindelwald gets more powerful, forcing Dumbledore to take drastic steps.

While that's building up, the main part of the story will involve Dumbledore sending Newt and his friends on a mission that pits them against Grindelwald's army. This mission will take them around the world and bring Newt face to face with dangerous forces, powerful wizards and witches, and of course, some more fantastic beasts.

Here's the official plot synopsis for the movie:

"Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?"

Keep Reading:'Harry Potter' History and the Events of the Wizarding World Explained in a Comprehensive Timeline