Warner Bros. is two films deep in their new Harry Potter franchise and plans for Fantastic Beasts 3 are already underway. The series stars Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander and the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald officially means the future is what will get more attention, especially with the several twists that the sequel holds. Here's everything you need to know about the third film in the franchise.
- Release Date: Unconfirmed
- Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller
- Director: David Yates
- Writer: J.K. Rowling
David Yates Will (Likely) Direct Fantastic Beasts 3
David Yates has directed every movie in the Wizarding World since 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and remains in control of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. He previously said he's committed to directing every film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, but no official deal for Yates to return has been made public yet. Despite the poor critical reception to The Crimes of Grindelwald, Yates is still expected to once again be in the director's chair for Fantastic Beasts 3 - and beyond.
Read More: David Yates May Direct All Five Fantastic Beasts Films
J.K. Rowling Is Writing Fantastic Beasts 3's Script
Author J.K. Rowling was just an advisor for the original Harry Potter franchise at the start, before receiving actual producer credit on Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2. She's become even more hands-on with Fantastic Beasts thanks to the lack of preexisting source material to mine. She wrote the script for the first two movies in the prequel franchise and confirmed earlier this summer that she's already writing the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts 3. As the creator of the entire Wizarding World, Rowling's involvement allows her to continue and tell the story she's had in mind.
Read More: J.K. Rowling Is Already Writing Fantastic Beasts 3
Fantastic Beasts 3 Will Likely Release In 2020
Warner Bros. released the first Fantastic Beasts film in November of 2016 and quickly turned around the sequel for a release this year. The two-year window between movies appears to be what the plan will be for the next film too. No official release date has been set at this time, but healthy box office openings for both movies should point to November once again being the franchise's landing spot in two years. Production is tentatively slated to begin in the summer of 2019, so Fantastic Beasts 3 should easily hit theaters in 2020 unless Warner Bros. changes the franchise's future outlook.
Fantastic Beasts 3 Is Part 3 Out of 5
As the original Harry Potter franchise showed, continued success is no problem for this magical series. Instead of just doing a trilogy of Fantastic Beasts films that would conclude with the third entry, the plan is actually far greater. It was previously revealed that the plan is for the Fantastic Beasts franchise to last for five films. This will make Fantastic Beasts 3 the middle chapter of the series - barring any unforeseen changes to the plan - that will span 19 years and end with Dumbledore and Grindelwald's duel in 1945.
Related: Fantastic Beasts: J.K. Rowling Announces Plans for 5 Movies
Eddie Redmayne Will Return As Newt Scamander In Fantastic Beasts 3
As the main character of the franchise, Eddie Redmayne will once again return as Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts 3. Newt refused to choose a side in the coming war at first, but he's aligned himself with his brother, Albus, and many more in The Crimes of Grindelwald. How his collection of beasts continue to factor into the larger story being told remains to be seen, but Newt will be back to lend his talents in the continued fight against Grindelwald.
Johnny Depp & Ezra Miller Are Back For Fantastic Beasts 3
Speaking of the villainous wizard, Johnny Depp has already confirmed that he too will return for Fantastic Beasts 3. This is necessary given the film's ending, even if audiences may not be as inclined to continue seeing him. Rounding out the franchise's new power duo will be Ezra Miller, as he's also reportedly locked in for the threequel. The true identity of his character (more on that later) will be a major focal point for the series moving forward, so Miller should become an even more important piece in Fantastic Beasts 3 - and likely beyond.
Read More: Ezra Miller Reportedly Returning for Fantastic Beasts 3
Other Expected Returning Cast In Fantastic Beasts 3
Just as has been the case with every film in the Wizarding World franchise, Fantastic Beasts 3 should feature another sprawling cast of characters. Fantastic Beasts' additions Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) should all factor into what the third film will explore. Other new additions from The Crimes of Grindelwald like Thedeus Scamander (Callum Turner), Nagini (Claudia Kim), and Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam) should also make their returns. And, of course, Jude Law is expected to return as the young, future Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.
Fantastic Beasts 3 Will Be Set In A New City
Unlike the original eight Harry Potter movies that largely took place at Hogwarts, Fantastic Beasts 3 will continue this prequel's global appeal. The first entry in the franchise journeyed to America, but The Crimes of Grindelwald largely took place in Paris. The official location of the film's next story has yet to be confirmed, but some believe Rowling's Twitter activity has teased a Rio de Janeiro setting for Fantastic Beasts 3.
Fantastic Beasts 3 Will See Grindelwald's Rise Continue
What we do know about Fantastic Beasts 3 is that it will continue and show Grindelwald's rise in the magic community. He's spreading his belief that true-blood wizards should rule the world and there are a fair amount of people already who support this belief. As his army of supporters continues to rise, so will Grindelwald's influence in this world, and that is what Fantastic Beasts 3 will shine a spotlight on.
Fantastic Beasts 3 Will Have To Deal With The Crimes of Grindelwald's Big Twist
What is sure to be the biggest talking point of Fantastic Beasts 3 is the major twist that comes in the closing seconds of The Crimes of Grindelwald. After spending the entire movie trying to uncover Credence's true identity, it is revealed that he isn't a Lestrange descendant as many theorized and some characters even started to believe. Grindelwald reveals to the boy formerly known as Credence that he is actually Aurelius Dumbledore, the baby brother of Albus Dumbledore. The ramification of the reveal is not yet known, as it isn't clear if Newt, Albus, and their fellow good wizards are aware of this. But, the truth (in theory) should spread quickly and become a major plot point.