When is Fantastic Beasts 3 coming out? Release date, rumors & more

Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Harry Potter-universe film Fantastic Beasts 3, including plot details, casting news, and when we could see an exact release date for the film.

The Fantastic Beasts series is separate from the Harry Potter films, but both are based on books written by author J.K. Rowling and set in the same magical universe.

After the first film released in 2016 to a mediocre box office – at least nothing like the original Harry Potter series- there was some doubt whether or not we would see all of the five promised movies actually happen.

It seems Warner Brothers is in it for the long haul though, with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 set for release next year. This breaks with the 2-year release cycle we’ve seen so far with the films, but that has been blamed partly on a delay in filming due to ongoing current events.

Fantastic Beasts 3 release date

For a bit after the release of the second movie, there were rumors that we would see the third installment’s premiere sometime in 2020, following the same, two-year release cycle as the first two.

Warner Brothers previously confirmed that Fantastic Beasts 3 would be released on November 12, 2021, with filming starting during Spring 2020. Star Dan Fogler revealed in an interview that the studio made the change because the cast needed “more time to prep.”

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In November 2020 however, that was once again pushed back to July 15, 2022, according to a report from Variety, with the schedule change happening just days after Johnny Depp said he was asked to leave the films.

Depp apparently only ended up filming one scene for Beasts 3, but will still receive an eight-figure contract per reports for his portrayal of Gellert Grindelwald. When Warner Brother will announce his replacement, remains to be seen.

Fantastic Beasts 3 official trailer

Unfortunately, there have been no official teasers or trailers released for the third Fantastic Beasts movie as of yet. We will update this as soon as the first promo videos are unveiled.

Fantastic Beasts 3 Casting News

Eddie Redmayne will be returning as Newt Scamander, English Wizard, and author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Dan Fogler, obviously, will be back as Polish-born wizard Jacob Kowalski, and Katherine Waterston will also be coming back as Porpentina Goldstein.

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It wouldn’t be a story set in the Harry Potter universe without Dumbledore, and it’s confirmed Jude Law will be reprising his role as the much-younger version of the legendary Hogwart’s headmaster.

As we mentioned, Johnny Depp will not be returning as main villain Gellert Grindelwald after Warner Brothers asked him to leave the franchise. It remains to be seen who will replace him, but given he had only shot one scene before leaving Beasts 3, it’s likely we won’t see him at all.

What will Fantastic Beasts 3 be about?

While we still have a long while to wait before any solid plot details emerge, but JK Rowling has revealed on Twitter that it will be set during the 1930’s in Rio de Janeiro. The author has also noted in the past that all five films will cover a period leading up to 1945, when the last one will take place.

As the middle movie in the series then, we wouldn’t expect to see any climactic battles happening between Dumbledore and Grindelwald just yet, but the series’ cast adventuring around the city and beaches of Rio does sound like a truly “fantastic” setting.

So there you have it; that’s everything we know about Fantastic Beasts 3 so far. Keep your eyes open for more news as we head into the new year. We’ll make sure to update you on any further developments as the November 12, 2021 steadily approaches.