It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Warner Bros. might have been expecting more from the studio’s ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film series. It would be bad enough that both films haven’t had the box office showings that WB hoped for. But there’s also the fact that critics and fans have been less-than-enthusiastic about the new series of films written by ‘Harry Potter’ creator J.K. Rowling. So, for the upcoming third film, which is set to begin production in 2020, there are going to be some changes.
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According to Deadline, changes are afoot with the upcoming third ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film, which was supposed to go into production over the summer but has been delayed a few times already. The third film finds Rowling, once again, writing the script, but she is joined by Steve Kloves. Fans of the ‘Harry Potter’ films are likely very excited by this news, as Kloves was the writer of all but one of the franchise’s entries, but was sidelined as a producer for the first two ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films, as Rowling took sole writing credit.
Another major change is said to feature the character played by Jessica Williams. The actress’ character Professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks is said to be getting an upgraded slot in the roster for the upcoming film, though the exact nature of why her role is going to be expanded is yet to be known.
Some things are staying the same, however, for better or worse. David Yates, the man behind the final four ‘Harry Potter’ films and the first two ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is back again to helm the third film (of what is supposed to be five total). The cast from the first two films is returning, led by Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Katherine Waterston, and yes, even Johnny Depp. The latter of which has been controversial amongst ‘Potter’ fans, not only for his performance in the previous film but also for his off-set issues, where he’s currently engaged in a domestic violence lawsuit with actress Amber Heard.
Filming on the third movie is expected to begin in spring 2020 with a release date of November 12, 2021 already confirmed.