‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Production Postponed Over Coronavirus Concerns
A week before the latest installment of theHarry Potterspin-off series was expected to start shooting in the U.K., Warner Bros. has postponed production forFantastic Beasts 3amid coronavirus concerns. The film is one of the last major Hollywood releases to delay its shoot to curb the spread of coronavirus, aka COVID-19, following in the steps of other postponed productions like Warner Bros.‘The Batman.
Not even magic could keepFantastic Beasts 3going.Varietyreports that Warner Bros. is postponing production on the third installment ofFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, just a week before the film was set to begin shooting in the U.K.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as most major Hollywood productions have postponed shooting in the wake of the escalating spread of coronavirus, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization last week. But Variety reports that Warner Bros. was holding out hope they could continue as planned forFantastic Beasts 3, which was set to film at a soundstage in Liverpool, where the studio planned to moveThe Batmanafter postponing the comic book film.
Like many of the other productions thathave stalledbecause of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s unknown whether the postponement will affect the release date forFantastic Beasts 3, which was due to hit theaters June 27, 2025. The film, directed by David Yates, brings back Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, and Dan Folger in the latest globe-trotting adventure that would surely be difficult to shoot with the pandemic severely affecting international travel. While plot details for the film is under wraps, a good portion ofFantastic Beasts 3will reportedly be set in Brazil.
But,whether we want it or not,Fantastic Beasts 3will eventually hit theaters at some point. Despite poor critical reception for the recent entries in the Wizarding World franchise – with the last film earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of anyHarry Potterfilm – the series is still one of Warner Bros.’ top franchises, raking in more than $1.4 billion worldwide so far.
