Seven months ago, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a lot of movie and television productions being shut down, no matter how far along they were. In the case of Fantastic Beasts 3, it had only just begun principal photography when the cast and crew were told to go home. Now as 2020 starts drawing to a close, the next installment in the Wizarding World franchise is finally back to rolling cameras, and it’s apparent to star Eddie Redmayne how different things are compared to the pre-COVID times.
Naturally with the pandemic going strong, movie and TV productions have to take numerous health and safety precautions to ensure the safety of those on set. Here’s what Eddie Redmayne recently had to say about what his experience making Fantastic Beasts 3 in the midst of COVID-19 has been like:
Well, we had done a day of shooting before COVID-19 really hit the U.K. proper. So we started on Friday and then on a Sunday night we were all told to go home. And then just a few weeks ago we started again and it’s a different world. But we’re so lucky to be back in work and it’s interesting, it’s kind of like – film crews are amazing people and they’re very adaptable people. So, we have a lot of testing, you know, we’re in bubbles, and we’re all masked, but it’s been kind of… actually kind of great. So, it’s nice to be back at work and I feel very lucky.
Eddie Redmayne talked about the Fantastic Beasts 3 filming process during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. While he understandably couldn’t provide any details about the threequel’s plot, it sounds like so far, the actor’s been impressed with the efforts that have been taken to decrease the chances of people getting sick while making the movie. There’s no question that things like mask-wearing and COVID testing are a necessity to film things right now, and if Fantastic Beasts 3 is looking to meet its current release date, then rolling cameras needed to happen now rather than even later.
Of course, as Eddie Redmayne noted, filming’s only been going on for a few weeks so far following that essentially false start in March, so there’s still a long way to go before principal photography concludes. And while taking these health and safety precautions is important, those still don’t 100% guarantee that someone won’t contract the virus. Just look at what The Batman and Jurassic World: Dominion have gone through after they resumed their respective productions. So fingers crossed Fantastic Beasts 3 doesn't go through similar troubles.
For now though, it sounds like it’s been relatively smooth sailing on Fantastic Beasts 3, which will see Eddie Redmayne once more reprising the role of Newt Scamander, one of the Wizarding World’s top magizoologists in the early 20th century. While we don’t know the specifics of what Newt will be going through in the threequel, it will involve him once more clashing with Johnny Depp’s Gellert Grindelwald, the most dangerous dark wizard at this point in history.
Other familiar faces that will be back for Fantastic Beasts 3 include Katherine Waterston’s Tine Goldstein, Alison Sudol’s Queenie Goldstein, Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski, Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore, Ezra Miller’s Credence Barebone and Jessica Williams’ Eulalie Hicks, the latter of whom will have a much bigger role this time around compared to her presence in The Crimes of Grindelwald. Following Fantastic Beasts 3, two more movies will follow to close out this era of the Wizarding World film franchise.
Fantastic Beasts 3 is still intended to work its magic in theaters on November 12, 2021, although if that date is later changed, we’ll be sure to let you know. Don’t forget to look through our 2021 release schedule to learn what other movies are supposed to play on the big screen next year.
