After three films, the Fantastic Beasts franchise is taking a break. David Yates, who directed all three Fantastic Beasts films, revealed the series is “parked” with no specific plans for future movies.
“We’re all so proud of [Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore] and when it went out into the world, we just needed to sort of stop and pause, and take it easy,” Yates told the Inside Total Film podcast.
Fantastic Beasts was created to expand the Wizarding World franchise past Harry Potter. Unfortunately, the films have not resonated with audiences critically or financially, with the most recent film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, grossing $407 million worldwide, the lowest in franchise history. Franchise creator J.K. Rowling once mentioned there would be five Fantastic Beasts films. However, Yates has had no conversations with Warner Bros. to make two additional films.
“The idea that there were going to be five films was a surprise to most of us. 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,” Yates said. “I’m sure at some point, we’ll be back. But yeah, I haven’t spoken to Jo, I haven’t spoken to David Heyman, I haven’t spoken to Warner Bros; we’re just taking a pause.”
What is Involved in The Fantastic Beasts Franchise?
Fantastic Beasts, the spin-off prequel to Harry Potter, stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, a wizard whose experiences with magical beasts led him to write the textbook used by Harry and his classmates at Hogwarts. The franchise consists of three films: 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and 2022’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Before helming three Fantastic Beasts films, Yates directed four films in the Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
Yates’ next film, Pain Hustlers, streams on October 27, 2023, on Netflix.
