The future of the Harry Potter spin-off, "Fantastic Beasts," has been shrouded in controversy and uncertainty for quite some time, primarily due to issues surrounding the author J.K. Rowling, and actors Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp.
Recently, the film series director, David Yates, disclosed in the Games Radar podcast Total Film that Warner Bros. has put the franchise on an indefinite hiatus.
He stated, "it's all just parked" regarding the potential for further sequels. However, this has not been officially confirmed by Warner Bros., as reported by Deadline.
The franchise's journey has been a rocky one, with its third installment, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," premiering last year to predominantly negative reviews and disappointing box office returns.
Initially, when the first film was released in 2016, there were plans for a total of five films in the prequel story centered around Eddie Redmayne’s character, Newt Scamander, and his adventures.
However, the "Fantastic Beasts" films did not manage to replicate the critical acclaim or commercial success of the original Harry Potter universe.
The 2022 film "The Secrets of Dumbledore" faced delays due to the pandemic and the controversial replacement of Johnny Depp with Mads Mikkelsen, following the Amber Heard legal battle.
In a surprising revelation, Yates shared that the long-term plan for a five-film series came as a shock to the team when J.K. Rowling spontaneously mentioned it at a press conference, according to The Guardian.
Currently, the most anticipated project from Warner Bros. is the upcoming HBO Max series adaptation of the entire "Harry Potter" book series, announced earlier this year with both J.K. Rowling and the original film series producer David Heyman involved. H
owever, Yates, who directed the last four "Harry Potter" films as well as the "Fantastic Beasts" series, does not appear to be part of this project.
“I have other projects on my desk that are a million miles away from wizards,” Yates mentioned to Deadline back in September at the Toronto Film Festival, where he was promoting his current film "Pain Hustlers," which premiered on Netflix today.
