RIP Sir Michael Gambon

#RIP: it is saddening to report that actor Sir Michael Gambon has passed away at the age of 82. He played Albus Dumbledore in “#HarryPotter and the #PrisonerOfAzkaban”, “Harry Potter and the #GobletOfFire”, “Harry Potter and the “OrderOfThePhoenix”, “Harry Potter and the HalfBloodPrince”, “Harry Potter and the #DeathlyHallows Part 1”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”; Kazran Sardick / Elliot Sardick in #DoctorWho; Editor Paley in #SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow; Baltus Van Tassel in #SleepyHollow; Lt. Gen. Leland Zevo in #Toys; Uncle Pastuzo (voice) in #Paddington & “Paddington 2”; narrator (voice) in “#KrödMändoon and the #FlamingSwordOfFire”; Ultragorgon in #TheJimHensonHour; Roland in #ArthurOfTheBritons; & much more.

Our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans. May he rest in peace.

Sir Michael Gambon (1940-2023)

References

• Michael Gambon, actor who played Dumbledore in ‘Harry Potter’ films, dies at 82

RIP Robbie Coltrane

#RIP: veteran British actor Robbie Coltrane has died at the age of 72. He played Rubeus Hagrid in the #HarryPotter saga (#TheSorcerersStone, #ChamberOfSecrets, #PrisonerOfAzkaban, #GobletOfFire, #OrderIfThePhoenix, #HalfBloodPrince, “#DeathlyHallows Part 1”, “Deathly Hallows Part 2”), Rhun in #Krull; man at airfield in #FlashGordon; Lord Dingwall (voice) in #Brave; Lead Elf (voice) in #ArthurChristmas; Gregory (voice) in #TheTalesOfDespereaux; Mr. Hyde in #VanHelsing; & much more, including playing Valentine Zukovsky in the James Bond films #GoldenEye & #TheWorldIsNotEnough.

Our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans. May he rest in peace.

Robbie Coltrane (1950-2022)

References

• Robbie Coltrane, Comic Performer Who Played Hagrid in ‘Harry Potter’ Movies, Dies at 72

Newest Trailer for “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”

Here’s the newest trailer for “#FantasticBeasts: #TheSecretsOfDumbledore” that’s scheduled to be released in 2022!

AT&T to Sell WarnerMedia and DC Comics to Discovery

On Monday morning, AT&T and Discovery, Inc. announced a deal whereby AT&T’s #WarnerMedia will be spun off and combined with #Discovery in a new standalone media company. The deal (which is still subject to regulatory approval) will combine two treasure troves of content, including the #HBOMax & discovery+ streaming services; #DCComics characters; and the #HarryPotter films, whose distribution is under #WarnerBrothers.

DC Comics is a subsidiary of the Global Brands and Experiences division of Warner Brothers, which itself is a subsidiary of WarnerMedia through its Studios & Networks division.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav (who’s been CEO since 2007) will run the combined business, according to Monday’s announcement. Prior to being the Discovery CEO, Zaslav worked for NBCUniversal, where he was responsible for a number of channels, including “The Sci-Fi Channel” before it was rebranded as the #SyFy Channel on March 16, 2009.

Zaslav’s ascension is part of a surprising move by AT&T and Discovery to pool their media resources and make a bid to compete more directly with large rivals like Netflix, Walt Disney and NBCUniversal. Zaslav will have a broader portfolio of resources as his company and AT&T form a joint venture that will combine his company’s TLC with Warner’s TNT and TBS; the flagship Discovery Channel with Warner’s DC Comics characters; and lifestyle-focused Food Network with Warner programs

David Zaslav

References

• AT&T to spin off and combine WarnerMedia with Discovery in deal that would create streaming giant
• David Zaslav to Lead Combined WarnerMedia-Discovery as Landmark Deal Is Confirmed
• SyFy Channel Wikipedia Page
• David Zaslav Wikipedia Page
• DC Comics Wikipedia Page
• WarnerMedia Wikipedia Page
• Warner Brothers Wikipedia Page

RIP Helen McCrory

#RIP: actress Helen McCrory has passed away at the age of 52 on April 16, 2021. She played Narcissa Malfoy in “#HarryPotter and the #HalfBloodPrince”, “Harry Potter and the #DeathlyHallows Part 1”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”; and more, including playing the 2nd whore in the drama/horror film “#InterviewWithTheVampire: #TheVampireChronicles”. 

Our condolences to her family, friends and fans. May she rest in peace.

Helen McCrory (1968-2021)

References

• Helen McCrory, ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Peaky Blinders’ star, dead at 52

Mads Mikkelsen Replacing Johnny Depp in “Fantastic Beasts”

Following the apparent removal of Johnny Depp from the filming of the third #FantasticBeasts film a few weeks ago, actor Mads Mikkelsen will be taking over the role of Gellert Grindelwald. Depp resigned at the request of #WarnerBrothers Studio after losing a libel case against The Sun over a 2018 article that called him a “wife beater”.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is known for his film roles in “Casino Royale” (opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond), #Marvel’s #DoctorStrange and as Galen Erso in “#RogueOne: A #StarWars Story”.

References

• Johnny Depp Leaves “Fantastic Beasts” Franchise
• Fantastic Beasts 3: Johnny Depp to be replaced in Grindelwald role by Mads Mikkelsen

Johnny Depp Leaves “Fantastic Beasts” Franchise

Actor Johnny Depp will no longer be playing the role of Gellert Grindelwald in J.K. Rowlings’ #FantasticBeasts movie franchise, which is a series of prequels to #HarryPotter. Depp made the announcement today on his Instagram account claiming that #WarnerBrothers had asked him to leave the franchise.

Releasing a short statement of their own, Warner Brothers has confirmed that Depp will leave the franchise, but did not comment on the nature of the separation or confirm that they asked him to go.

Coming just days after Depp lost a libel lawsuit against a British tabloid that characterized him as being abusive, it’s likely that this is related to the ongoing controversy surrounding back-and-forth abuse allegations between himself and his ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp did not specifically link the two in his letter, but he did bring the trial up, pledging to appeal the ruling.

His Instagram post can be seen below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Johnny Depp (@johnnydepp) on Nov 6, 2020 at 8:15am PST

Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald

References

• Johnny Depp Leaves Role Of Grindelwald For Fantastic Beasts 3

The British Library’s “Harry Potter: A History Of Magic” Exhibit Is Available Online

With the #BritishLibrary currently closed due to current #pandemic, they have made the “#HarryPotter: #AHistoryOfMagic” exhibit available online!

The online collection was highlighted as part of #HarryPotterAtHome by the Wizarding World franchise team, promoting ways to enjoy the Harry Potter series at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative also includes J.K. Rowling opening up licencing for teachers to read Harry Potter to their pupils online.

The exhibition originally opened at The British Library in London in 2017 as a result of a collaboration between #Pottermore (now known as Wizarding World Digital), The British Library, and #Bloomsbury.

The exhibition includes historical artifacts related to magical topics, including:

• The six-meter long Ripley Scroll, which is a recipe for making the fabled Philosopher’s Stone as seen in the first book “Harry Potter and the #PhilosophersStone”, a.k.a., “Harry Potter and the #SorcerersStone”.
• Old drawings
• Manuscripts
• Synopses created by J.K. Rowling herself when she was writing Harry Potter.
• Jim Kay’s work for the illustrated editions of the Harry Potter series.

The collection is divided — like the original exhibition — into various subjects, most of which are taught at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:

• Potions
• Herbology
• Charms
• Astronomy
• Divination
• Defense Against the Dark Arts
• Care of Magical Creatures
• Alchemy.

References

• The British Library’s ‘Harry Potter: A History Of Magic’ Exhibit Available Online
• Harry Potter: A History of Magic

 

Filming for “Fantastic Beasts 3” Expected to Begin in February, 2020

During a visit to the Boston LeakyCon convention this weekend, #FantasticBeasts actor Dan Folger revealed that filming is expected to begin in February, 2020. He is quoted as saying the following:

“We haven’t started filming yet. We start in February.”

“Last we heard, J.K. … she’s been writing furiously, everyone was really happy with what she submitted, and we’re all just waiting for the new script. And that’s where we’re at.”

Johnny Depp’s return as antagonist Gellert Grindelwald is not confirmed.

References

• Fantastic Beasts 3 Star Reveals When When Filming Starts

New Trailer for “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” Mobile Game

While no release date has yet been issued, a new trailer for the upcoming mobile game “#HarryPotter: Wizards Unite” has been released. The game is similar to the very popular “Pokémon Go” augmented reality (AR) mobile game and is, in fact, being developed by the same company, Niantic, along with Warner Brothers.

The game will be available on all iOS & Android devices soon.

References

Pokemon Go Dev’s Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Gets New Trailer