Fantastic Beasts Sequel Date Set for November 2018

Warner Brothers confirms the release date for the second movie installment in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series.

More from Harry Potter

As the reviews for Suicide Squad continue to roll in, and the film’s prospective legs (and the legs of the DC movie franchise) take another blow, Warner Brothers is turning to their last best hope for a movie universe of their own: the Potterverse. The original Harry Potter series was a major source of income for the movie production studio, and though the hope was clearly to revive it while also launching a competing superhero franchise to rival Marvel, the eggs are gathering into one basket as November 18th, 2016 stands as their last major release date, barring a miracle.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that the second the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child news calmed back down today after a week long run of Pottermania, Warner Brothers jumped into the pause for breath with a confirmation of the release date for the sequel to Fantastic Beasts, plus a few hints of the “dark turn” the second installment will be taking.

"As anticipation builds for the November 18th release of Warner Bros. Pictures’ adventure “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the Studio has announced plans to return to J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World for the next film in the series, slated for worldwide release on November 16, 2018. The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures."

We don’t have a lot of confirmation of where the second movie will be taking place, or when exactly, but we can assume it will probably be not long after the first movie, so late 1920s, early 1930s. We do know it’s not set in America, with rumors it will in fact be set on the European continent.

"Wizarding world creator J.K. Rowling, who made her screenwriting debut on the first film, is scripting the sequel. The second “Fantastic Beasts” movie moves deeper into an increasingly dark time for the wizarding world, where Newt and our other heroes have to decide on their allegiances."

This certainly jives with a movie set in the wizarding world of Europe during the rise of Gellert Grindewald, the dark wizard who would eventually plunge the continent into a wizarding war for wizard dominance, until he was defeated in 1942 by Albus Dumbedore.

"Director David Yates (the final four “Harry Potter” films) will again take the helm, having recently completed work on “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” The new film will also reunite producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. Neil Blair, Rick Senat and Danny Cohen will serve as executive producers."

Note that no stars are as yet confirmed though Eddie Redmayne has hinted he’s signed for the entire trilogy. But others, like Colin Farrell, who plays an American wizard, not only admitted he was not signed for future movies, he didn’t even know the plan was a trilogy.

Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?

Will Katherine Waterson, who plays Newt’s future wife Tina Goldstein, or costars Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler be in the sequel? We’ll have to wait and see.

Home/Harry Potter