Fantastic Beasts 4 and 5: cancellation confirmed?

No, *Fantastic Beasts* 4 and 5 have not been officially canceled by Warner Bros.. The saga has simply been put on hold, with no release date or filming schedule announced.

David Yates, the director, confirmed that the fourth film is no longer in active development, and Eddie Redmayne admitted that he had probably played his role for the last time.

The relaunch of the Harry Potter franchise with Fantastic Beasts

In November 2022, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros, announced plans to revive the franchise Harry Potter. A few months later, in April 2023, the time has finally come: Warner and HBO Max have officially announced a series Harry Potter with new actors, adapting the 7 books of J.K. Rowling about 7 seasons.

Before this TV project, however, the franchise had already been revived on the big screen. The "Fantastic Beasts" series, whose first film was released in 2016, serves as a prequel and sets the timeline for the entire universe. If you want to get your bearings, check out The complete order for watching the Harry Potter movies.

The fate of parts 4 and 5, according to Yates

Warner Bros had entrusted the saga to David Yates, who has already directed the last four films Harry Potter.

The first three parts of the "Fantastic Beasts" series However, they did not achieve the expected success.

The second installment, Les Animaux fantastiques : les Crimes de Grindelwaldreleased in 2018, had already been marked by controversy surrounding the casting of Johnny Depp in the role of Grindelwald.

Johnny Depp was then replaced by Mads Mikkelsen for the third installment. The third installment, Les Animaux fantastiques : les Secrets de Dumbledorereleased in 2022, has clearly underperformed at the box office and put the entire franchise at risk.

Yates' revelation

Parts 4 and 5 had indeed been announced, but they never went into production. This naturally raises the question: why continue the adventures of the Magizoologist Norbert Dragonneau, performed by Eddie Redmayne, whereas a series could bring in Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the screen?

David Yates gave his response in October 2023, on the Inside Total Film podcast. According to him, the saga isn't over—it's just been «put on hold»:

«We’re all very proud of *The Secrets of Dumbledore*, and when it came out, we just needed to stop, take a break, and catch our breath. […] Nobody had told us there would be five movies; we’d only committed to the first one.»

However, he doesn't rule out a return of the saga someday.

An indeterminate future for Fantastic Beasts

Warner has therefore put Parts 4 and 5 on hold indefinitely. This is not an official cancellation, but rather a suspension completely on hold, with no resumption date or filming in sight.

The actors themselves seem resigned to it. Eddie Redmayne said that the audience «probably» saw Norbert Dragonneau for the last time at the movies.

Katherine Waterston, who plays Tina Goldstein In the series, he had, in fact, only made a brief appearance in the third installment.

Jude Lawaka Dumbledore, He, too, believes that the saga is «certainly on hold» and hasn’t heard of any new projects.

The priority of Warner Bros and of J.K. Rowling now seems to be focused on the new one Harry Potter series, spanning approximately ten years production.

David Yates, between Harry Potter and Netflix

During this hiatus in the franchise, David Yates didn't just sit idly by. He signed Merchants of Pain, a feature film released on October 27, 2023 on Netflix, with Emily Blunt and Chris Evans in the cast. This movie has no connection to the magical universe.

This shift toward streaming doesn't necessarily mark the end of his journey in the Harry Potter universe: Yates says he's eager to move on, but refuses to say «never,» even though films 4 and 5 remain up in the air.

You can also check out the secret codes Netflix to unlock the hidden categories of movies and TV shows.