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The captivating film series within The Wizarding World, directed by David Yates, brought a fresh dimension to J.K. Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter franchise. Set seven decades before Harry’s adventures, it followed the fictional author Newt Scamander, injecting new life into Rowling’s billion-dollar universe. This enthusiasm led Warner Bros. to invest in the series, exploring this new chapter.
However, with three fantasy films released—beginning with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (2016), followed by “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018), and “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (2022)—the last installment saw its theatrical release in 2022. This marked the halfway point of the planned five-feature series, but it faced mixed reviews and became the lowest-grossing film in the Wizarding World franchise, grossing over $407 million worldwide.
As uncertainties surround the franchise’s future, discussions have been underway regarding its direction. Producer David Heyman revealed that work on the script for “Fantastic Beasts 4” had not yet begun, and the greenlighting of the final two installments would depend on the reception of “The Secrets of Dumbledore.”
More recently, reports have indicated that Warner Bros. Discovery has no active development of Wizarding World films and is not in active discussions with Rowling about the franchise’s future. Additionally, director David Yates mentioned in October 2023 that the franchise had been “parked” after the third film.
In a recent interview, Yates expressed that the idea of a five-film franchise was a surprise to most involved, as it had not been communicated to them initially. He noted that while they may return to it at some point, there’s currently a pause in the franchise’s progression.
Despite the pause in the Fantastic Beasts series, a new project within the Wizarding World Universe has been greenlit, generating substantial interest among fans. HBO is in the process of developing a new Harry Potter streaming series on Max, which was announced earlier in the year.
While Yates hasn’t confirmed his involvement in the new series, he mentioned that he’s excited about exploring projects beyond the wizarding world, indicating a willingness to potentially return in the future.