The next installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise is pivotal to the continued viability of the Harry Potter spinoff series, with five feature-length films initially being announced, which always seemed like a cynical cash-driven move when the source material was a slim fictional textbook that was originally written to raise money for charity.
Despite the questionable motivations, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a solid and enjoyable return to the Wizarding World, but the wheels have already started to come off a little following the disappointing critical and commercial response to The Crimes of Grindelwald. Not only is it the only entry in the series to hold a Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it wound up earning over $150 million less than its predecessor at the box office, and if that downward trend continues, then by the time we get to movies number four and five, the $200 million epics might find themselves struggling to turn a profit.
It doesn’t exactly help matters that creator and script writer J.K. Rowling has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, as have stars Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp. The latter is currently in the midst of a libel battle against a UK tabloid, but once that trial reaches a verdict, he’s set to launch a defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
However, Depp has now requested that the proceedings be delayed until the middle of next year, so the trial doesn’t create any scheduling conflicts for his return in Fantastic Beasts 3. Heard is said to be open to the idea, too, with the actress also set to star in a blockbuster sequel as she returns for Aquaman 2. No decision has been made just yet, but if the latest court case between the warring ex-spouses is pushed back, then the mud-slinging between them looks set to continue for a long time to come.
