Filming on Fantastic Beasts 3 won't start on time due to the Coronavirus. The Harry Potter prequel series started in 2016 with the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was followed up by Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. Despite the series being based on a fictional textbook by J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. has been more or less successful at turning the short book into multiple films.
Due to the second film in the trilogy receiving more fan backlash than expected, Warner Bros. has slowed down the development of the third film to make sure Fantastic Beasts 3 can save the series. J.K. Rowling confirmed as early as June 2018 that she had started writing the script for Fantastic Beasts 3, but Rowling herself was a main part of the film's criticism since she has tried to change elements of Harry Potter canon. Fantastic Beasts 3's filming start date, and consequently the release date, has been pushed back a few times, and it looks like the same thing is happening again.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has delayed the start of production on Fantastic Beasts because of the Coronavirus. This news comes just days after it was announced that Warner Bros. was still planning to start production on Fantastic Beasts 3 this week. That being said, there's no word on when production could begin or if this will affect the film's release date.
Because of the Coronavirus sweeping the world, Fantastic Beasts 3 is only the latest film that has been delayed. Over a dozen blockbusters' release dates have also been pushed back because of the virus, one of the first being No Time to Die. The next Bond flick was delayed seven months and will now come out in November. Other big films such as A Quiet Place Part II, Mulan, and Fast and Furious 9 have been delayed, the latter of which has been pushed back an entire year. One of Warner Bros. other highly anticipated films, The Batman, has also halted production for two weeks, Like many other films still in production, it remains unknown if The Batman's release date will be affected.
The success, or failure, of Fantastic Beasts 3 will be crucial to the future of the franchise. The studio was originally planning on making five Fantastic Beasts movies, but if Fantastic Beasts 3 performs like the second film, the series could end up staying a trilogy. While Warner Bros. has delayed production on Fantastic Beasts 3, it gives them even more time to tweak any little details needed before filming begins. It's unknown how long this delay will end up being, but Warner Bros. will likely shed some more details on Fantastic Beasts 3's delay in the coming weeks.
Source: Deadline
