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'Fantastic Beasts': 3 burning questions we have after watching 'The Secrets of Dumbledore' trailer
From Jacob's wand to the absence of Tina Goldstein, here's what stood out to us from the new trailer.
Galloping gargoyles! The first trailer for the third chapter in the Fantastic Beasts franchise — officially subtitled The Secrets of Dumbledore — has finally made its grand entrance online. Much like Hermione's beaded bag in Deathly Hallows, the footage represents a veritable treasure trove of magical goodies conjured up by co-screenwriters J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves.
Even with a runtime of nearly two-and-a-half minutes, however, this collection of scenes still leaves a number of lingering mysteries in its wake. We'd expect nothing less from a movie that has the word "Secrets" in its main title. No one in the Harry Potter universe is better at hiding secrets than Professor Albus Dumbledore (about the only thing the man wasn't willing to play close to the vest was the 12 uses of dragon's blood).
Without further ado, here are three burning questions we have after watching the trailer...
1. Where is Tina?
Right off the bat, you'll notice that every character is present and accounted for, except Katherine Waterston's Tina Goldstein — an Auror for MACUSA and Newt's love interest — who only appears, blurred out, in the background of a single shot at 2:04 (see the image above). This jives with what we saw at the end of the last movie, when she was standing alongside our other heroes on the stone bridge leading to Hogwarts. However, she's noticeably missing from other group shots aboard the train and in the Room of Requirement.
Waterston is listed as a member of the cast in the production briefing for The Secrets of Dumbledore, so where in the world is Tina beyond that blurry cameo? If we had to guess, we'd say she's on her own side mission of sorts — perhaps one that involves rescuing her sister, Queenie (Alison Sudol), from the cult of Grindelwald.
2. What's in the Room of Requirement?
The trailer shows off several moments at Hogwarts, suggesting that the ancient school of witchcraft and wizardry plays a large role in the film. After all, it's where Jude Law's Dumbledore teaches and lives (in this cinematic universe, he's head of the Defense Against the Dark Arts department, not Transfiguration as is canon in the books). At the 1:50-mark, the protagonists look as though they're leaving the castle via a floating Portkey-like device in the famous Room of Requirement. What that device is and why can't the characters can't just leave through the front door before Apparating to their desired destination?
3. Does Jacob have a bit of magic in him?
To take down Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen taking over from Johnny Depp), Albus assembles a team comprised of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne); Newt's brother, Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), Newt's menagerie assistant, Bunty (Victoria Yeates); Ilvermorny professor, Eulalie Hicks (Jessica Williams); pure-blood Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam); and the No-Maj/Muggle baker, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). It's certainly a ragtag group — as Theseus is quick to point out — but at least everyone can perform magic.
That is to say everyone, except Jacob, who is more of a liability than anything else. Nevertheless, Dumbledore sees fit to give him a wand, which begs the question: does Mr. Kowalski have a bit of magic in him? Or is Albus simply appealing to Jacob's feeling of inadequacy and providing him with a useless stick of wood to make him feel like he actually belongs to the wider team?
At the very end of the trailer, we see the No-Maj enjoying a sumptuous breakfast in the Great Hall alongside Hogwarts students. This should be impossible, given that any Muggle who wanders into the vicinity of the school only sees a crumbling and dangerous ruin (something explained to us by Hermione in the books).
Now, it is possible that Dumbledore, one of the most gifted wizards in the world, cast some sort of exception ex machina spell on Jacob, but the chances of him secretly being a Squib or something seem equally as feasible. We shall see!
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore arrives on the big screen April 15, 2022.
