#OnTheBigScreen: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Mr Bones 3

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Dumbledore has been one of the most revered figures in the Wizarding World canon since he was first introduced some 20-plus years ago. However, the beloved wizard of the Harry Potter books and movies has an intriguing history that is unveiled in the third film in the Fantastic Beasts series.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a magical adventure that sends a team of unlikely heroes, led by Newt Scamander, on a mission that could spell their only chance to save both the wizarding and non-magical worlds. Each has a role to play in this covert operation devised by the ultimate wizarding mastermind: Professor Albus Dumbledore.

Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) 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?

“Dumbledore is such a major figure in J.K. Rowling’s world. In the Potter books and films, he’s charming, knowledgeable, mischievous, and all-knowing. One of the things that appealed to us was seeing the younger Dumbledore, in a formative period that will ultimately define the human being he will eventually become, ” says director David Yates, who helmed the last four of the blockbuster 'Harry Potter' films before directing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, taking us to a new era of the Wizarding World created by J.K. Rowling, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018.

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Mr Bones 3, Son of Bones

Sixty years ago, in an obscure corner of Africa, the only survivor of a light aircraft crash was a baby boy. Perhaps it was the miracle of his survival that gave him the gift of “sight”, and he became a Sangoma, the seer of the Kuvuki tribe, interpreting the wishes of The Great One through the throwing of the bones. Hence his name – Bones (Leon Schuster).

Today, at an advanced age but still fit in mind and body, his mission is to pass on his wisdom to his son, Mathambo (Ntombela), and guide him into manhood, a mission doomed to fail because of both of their obsessive personalities.

The storyline of Mr Bones 3, Son of Bones begins at the turn of the last century, when we witness (flashback) the burying of the Kruger millions by two Boer soldiers, who then kill each other through idiotic greed, leaving the Kruger millions hidden in a graveyard in Kuvukiland.

Now, in the present, a scrawny businessman named Alvin (Moonsamy) and his Texan engineer partner named Jack (Janks), together with their beautiful guide, Gabrielle (Anstey) are plotting to mine for oil in the pristine land which would leave it an oily mess. Bones and Mathambo must devise a way to outsmart the opinionated Westerners. Of course, as their plan unfolds, so do many other unexpected twists and turns, with hilarious effect.

“Bones 3 is definitely a family movie,” says director Gray Hofmeyr. “But I feel more and more that, it's a kids’ movie, I think because it is a bit more over the top than usual, and I have pushed the performances and overall treatment right to the edge of reality. The country has been waiting to see Alfred in a leading role and the young man rose to the occasion like a giant. The father-son relationship is a classic and it worked beautifully – the ageing father wanting his son to become a clone of himself while the son wants to find himself, by himself. And love conquers all, helped along by necessity.”

Directed by Gray Hofmeyr from a screenplay by Leon Schuster and Gray Hofmeyr

Read more about the latest and upcoming films here.