The Fantastic Beasts franchise serves as a prequel and spin-off to the Harry Potter films and is based on the characters and world created by J. K. Rowling. The plot predominantly revolves around magizoologist Newt Scamander, a character only mentioned in Rowling’s Harry Potter books, as he chances upon a large conspiracy involving both the magical and the muggle world.
The first film in the franchise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, premiered on November 18, 2016, followed by the releases of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald on November 16, 2018, and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore on April 15, 2022. If you are wondering whether there will be a fourth Fantastic Beasts film, this is what we have discovered.
Here’s all the Fantastic Beasts 4 release date information we know so far, as well as all the details on when it is coming out.
Is there a Fantastic Beasts 4 release date?
Fantastic Beasts 4 does not have an official release date, but it could come out in the future.
J. K. Rowling, who is a co-screenplay writer and producer of the Fantastic Beasts films, said in 2016 that the franchise would have five films, later adding that the timeline of these prequels is between 1926 and 1945. However, over the years, the movie series was hit by several controversies, the most recent of which involved Ezra Miller, who portrays Credence Barebone/Aurelius Dumbledore, and the scandal and legal issues associated with the actor.
According to a Variety report published in April 2022, Warner Bros., the production company behind the entire Wizarding World (Harry Potter) universe, wanted to assess the critical and commercial response to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore before deciding on the future of the franchise. The film in question garnered a 46% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and $407.2 million at the global box office against its $200 million budget.
Given that the film is part of the Wizarding World universe, this was a disappointing performance. By November of that year, it was reported that Warner Bros. was not looking to make more Fantastic Beasts films anytime soon, effectively putting the fourth and fifth films in development limbo.
David Yates, who directed all three previous films, confirmed this when he referred to the franchise as “parked” during an interview with the Inside Total Film podcast in October 2023. He also said Rowling’s comment about five films caught him off-guard. “The idea that there were going to be five films was a surprise to most of us,” the filmmaker stated. “Jo just mentioned it spontaneously, at a press screening once. No one had told us there were going to be five, we’d committed to the first one…”
However, Yates did offer some hopeful words for the fans waiting for Fantastic Beasts 4. “I’m sure at some point, we’ll be back,” he asserted. “But yeah, I haven’t spoken to Jo, I haven’t spoken to [producer] David Heyman, I haven’t spoken to Warner Bros; we’re just taking a pause. It’s quite nice.”
At present, Warner Bros. seems to be focused on developing a live-action HBO Max series on Harry Potter. So, it might be a while before it returns to explore the Fantastic Beasts franchise. ComingSoon will provide an update if and when the circumstances change.
The cast will likely include Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone/Aurelius Dumbledore, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, William Nadylam as Yusuf Kama, Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, Fiona Glascott as Minerva McGonagall, Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald, and more.
