This three-film franchise was originally supposed to have a sequel. But it will ultimately be different.
After having grossed more than 1.8 billion dollars, this fantastic saga will probably not have a sequel. However, the creators had the idea of continuing the plot over five films and the spectators were seduced by the first episode. But after the failure of the third episode ($407 million worldwide), Fantastic Beasts seems well and truly buried. This prequel toHarry Potterwhich starred Eddie Redmayne in the role of a magizoologist (specialist in magical creatures) in New York in the 1920s, will not have a sequel.
If the reviews were not positive, the franchise especially suffered a lot of controversy which diverted spectators from cinemas. First, author JK Rowling fell from grace because of her regular transphobic outings in the media. Some fans have therefore decided to distance themselves from the various productions linked to the saga so as not to provide it with financial support.
But it’s not the only one that’s controversial. After losing his libel case against the Sun in London, a tabloid which accused him of being an “abusive husband”, Johnny Depp (Grindelwald, the main protagonist, at the end of the first film and in the second episode) was removed from the franchise and replaced in the last film by the Danish Mads Mikkelsen. And shortly before the release of the third episode, Ezra Miller (Croyance Bellebosse) was implicated in several cases, notably for assault, burglary, corruption of a minor or driving while drunk.
Enough to definitively bury the franchise ? It would seem so, if lead actor Eddie Redmayne is to be believed. Speaking to the Comicbook site, the Oscar-winning British actor “thinks that we probably saw the last appearance of Norbert Scamander. I know, it’s a very frank answer, but yes, that’s what I believe today . Anyway, that’s all I know.” If he specifies that the future of the saga obviously remains in the hands of Warner Bros and JK Rowling, “as far as I know, it’s over”.
This reflection actually seems to be part of the latest strategy from Warner Bros, which has decided to bet everything on a reboot ofHarry Potter in series on Max, rather than developing the universe of the saga with spin-offs and prequels/sequels. The series, each season of which will adapt a volume written by JK Rowling, is not expected to be released before 2026.