Fantastic Beasts 3 Release Date Set for November 2021 to Allow for Script Polish

Fantastic Beasts 3 now has a release date: it will open November 12, 2021 in India, the US and elsewhere, Warner Bros. announced Monday. That continues the Harry Potter spin-off franchise's November release schedule, though it is taking an extra gap year this time. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them debuted November 2016, before the first sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald followed in November 2018. Production was earlier supposed to begin in late 2019, but it is now expected to start in spring 2020. That might have something to do with the reception to the last film.

“We are incredibly excited about and have confidence in the Fantastic Beasts series,” Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich said in a statement. “We all believe this release date will give the filmmakers time and space to allow their artistry to truly flourish and deliver the best possible film to our fans.”

“J.K. Rowling created an awe-inspiring universe that has captivated people of all ages, taking us on an extraordinary magical journey,” Warner Bros. president of worldwide theatrical distribution and home entertainment Ron Sanders added. “Warner Bros. is so proud to be the cinematic home of the Wizarding World and is excited about the future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We look forward to bringing the third chapter of the five-film series to audiences around the globe in November 2021.”

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review: Care of Magical Creatures, and a Brewing Dark Side

The first chapter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was well-received by critics and audiences alike. It holds a 75 percent fresh rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and it grossed over $814 million at the worldwide box office. The sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, didn't fare so well at the box office, suffering a dip to $653 million, which is the lowest total for any Wizarding World film ever, going back to 2001. And that's before inflation. The Crimes of Grindelwald was lambasted by critics and holds a 37 percent rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Is a Clueless, Forgettable Entry

Of course, in today's franchise-crazy Hollywood, Fantastic Beasts wasn't going to be put to bed so easily. Instead, Warner Bros. seems to have agreed to give Rowling more time to polish the script and work on the future of the franchise. Some of its problems are unsolvable though, given how deeply Rowling & Co. have committed to them already. We are talking about the Nagini situation and the casting of Johnny Depp. The Crimes of Grindelwald also introduced a long-lost Dumbledore brother, which is a seismic shift for the Potter canon.

Is Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) really Aurelius Dumbeldore?
Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

The as-yet third chapter of the Fantastic Beasts franchise will release November 12, 2021 in cinemas worldwide. Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Claudia Kim, Jude Law, and Depp are expected to reprise their roles.