After the massive success of the ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise, Warner Bros. was understandably bullish on making sure the prequel franchise, ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ followed a similarly consistent release cycle. But after the second feature in the new franchise, ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald,’ things got delayed. And now with COVID-19 (coronavirus), there are even more delays expected. But never fear, ‘Potter’ fans, one of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ stars has read the script for the third film and thinks everyone is going to be very happy.
Speaking to SYFY Wire, Dan Fogler talked about the upcoming third feature in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ saga. And according to the actor, the new film feels reminiscent of the first entry in the franchise and is building to a pretty “epic” conclusion.
“I can say I read the script and the character development is really lovely and it’s very similar to the feel of the first movie, which I think is great,” Fogler said. “It’s leading toward this massive war with the backdrop of World War II, so you can just imagine epic battle scenes are coming.”
There’s a lot of interest in the untitled third ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film. This is mainly due to the fact that the second feature wasn’t as well-received as the first film and earned almost $200 million less at the box office. Plus, there was the controversy surrounding the writing of the film, particularly with the plotting, resulting in JK Rowling sharing scriptwriting duties with ‘Potter’ alum Steve Kloves. Also, we can’t forget the divisive inclusion of Johnny Depp to the cast, combined with Rowling’s recent comments about LGBTQ matters that have enraged fans.
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Suffice it to say, there’s a fair amount of people wondering if the third ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film will save the franchise or continue the downward trajectory.
Regardless, there’s still no real answer about when we might see the film arrive in theaters. The film currently has a release date set for November 12, 2021, but with the global pandemic bringing productions all around the world to a screeching halt, it’s unclear when filming might begin. And if the delay in production is long, we may run into an issue where the release date might be changed again.
“We’re just waiting,” Fogler explained, regarding the delay. “I guess when everybody else starts [back up], when the mechanism starts to move again and everybody starts to get back to work, that’s when we’ll get back to work. Hopefully, sooner than later.”