Following swiftly on the heels that Johnny Depp was asked to resign from the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them franchise, we now know when to expect the third film in the series will arrive. Warner Bros. has apparated it to a 15 July, 2022 release date.
The film is already shooting at Warner Bros.' UK Potter base, Leavesden, with David Yates in the director's chair and Steve Kloves responsible for the script this time after JK Rowling wrote the first couple of movies. Plot details are under wraps for the most part, though we know it'll continue the story of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) as they battle the scheming dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (the role Depp had played in the last film and had shot one scene for on this one).
Warner Bros. will now look for someone else to play Grindelwald, who has shown he's a master of deception after the first film had him impersonating Percival Graves, in the shape of Colin Farrell. Those hoping he might switch back to that form may be disappointed, as Farrell's work on The Batman is likely to keep him out of consideration even if had no other conflicts.
This marks a change from the established November release plan for the Beasts films, but of course the pandemic has shifted everything.
In related release date news, Jordan Peele's next horror, an untitled and – for now – unknown concept will debut on 22 July the same year.
Buy the first two Fantastic Beasts movies on Blu-ray at Amazon