The Harry Potter franchise has been entertaining audiences for decades now, resulting in genrations of fans. While it all stated with J.K. Rowling’s novels, the movie franchise is possibly more iconic– even inspiring theme parks. The Wizarding World was expanded with the Fantastic Beasts movies, but it’s unclear if the final two movies in that series will ever be produced. Harry Potter director David Yates revealed the state of Fantastic Beasts 4, and addressed if he would ever return to the famous characters again.
David Yates made his Wizarding World debut directing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and stayed on until the series ended. He also directed all three Fantastic Beasts movies, so he’s deeply connected to the franchise. He recently spoke to Deadline about the state of those spinoffs, as he’s gotten a break from magic in favor of other preojcts. In his words,
I started on Potter in 2005. So it's been an amazing journey. We made the last one, The Secrets of Dumbledore, through the pandemic, pre-vaccine. So we were shooting that movie without vaccines and it took its toll. It was a tough ride to get it together. Huge affection and a lovely group of people I work with and I love all of them, but we haven’t had a conversation since we finished it. It’s been about ‘Let’s just park it and let’s be done for a while.’ So never say never, I would say.
There you have it. It sounds like not even David Yates knows if another entry of the Harry Potter spinoff will end up being produced. Considering there was originally a five-movie plan for Fantastic Beasts, smart money says some fans are going to be holding out hope to get a proper conclusion.
Yates’ comments to Deadline come as he’s promoting his new movie Pain Hustlers, which had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. But Potterheads are still wondering about what’s going to happen with the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like the studio has any plans to complete the franchise as of this moment.
While the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them did well, the sequels failed to do the same. Moviegiers didn't connect to The Crimes of Grindelwald’s story, and The Secrets of Dumbeldore was a box office disappointment. There’s been no news from the studio since the latter movie’s release, and not even the filmmaker behind the franchise knows what’s coming next.
Even if the Fantastic Beasts franchise is dead in the water, there are still plans ocming together for future Wizarding World projects. A live-action Harry Potter TV series is being developed for Max, with each season expected to capture on year of Harry’s time at Hogwarts. This should allow for much more of the books’ contents to be included, which should please hardcore Potter fans. Fans are also hoping a movie adaptation of The Cursed Child happens, preferably with the original cast reprising their roles.
David Yates’ work on the Wizarding World is streaming now with a Max subscription. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
