At times, it’s seemed like the Fantastic Beasts franchise is under one of Voldemort’s curses. Not only has the Wizarding World prequel series seen lesser box office returns and weaker critical reception than the Harry Potter films, but it’s been plagued by various behind-the-scenes controversies as well – everything from J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans activity to Johnny Depp’s firing to Ezra Miller choking a fan. All of this has conspired to make it look doubtful that the planned five-movie arc will actually be completed and the way things are going, Fantastic Beasts 3 could be the last.
It seems the studio is apparently keen to tie everything up to a certain extent in the threequel so that they can pull the plug on the franchise, if that’s what they ultimately decide to do, without leaving any dangling plot threads. Tipster Daniel Richtman has shared this new rumor on his Patreon page, claiming that FB3 will have “a definitive ending” and won’t leave anything open. That way, if the movie bombs as hard as some are suspecting, they can cut their losses and be done with it.
On top of all the off-screen controversies, FB3 has also been hit by a series of delays, both before and since the pandemic arrived. Because of this, the film is currently set to drop in summer 2022, which will be almost four years after the previous entry came out. When you put that hefty gap together with the fact that The Crimes of Grindelwald already underperformed, not to mention the worries over cinema attendance going forward, it doesn’t paint the most optimistic of pictures.
Given that Rowling was handed a blank slate to expand the franchise before now, the first two movies ended on huge cliffhangers – the reveal of Depp’s Grindelwald and the twist that Miller’s Credence is actually Dumbledore’s brother, respectively. Maybe we shouldn’t be expecting another big curveball like these to come at the end of number 3, then, with the plot possibly wrapping up Newt Scamander’s globetrotting adventures instead.
Fantastic Beasts 3 completed filming back in February ahead of its intended release on June 15th, 2022.
