In what is clearly a reaction to The Crimes of Grindelwald‘s underwhelming box office and fan complaints, Warner Bros. has pushed Fantastic Beasts 3 back a full year to November 12th 2021.
This was a necessary step following the previous film’s many disappointments, including a global box office of just $653M. Screenwriter and Harry Potter mastermind J.K. Rowling took a lot of heat for a nonsensical plot, and recently went back in to do rewrites on a new script which delayed the start of production. There has also been a lot made of the decision to stick with Johnny Depp as the villain Grindelwald, and I’ve maintained his presence is a big reason why some people may have stayed away.
Production is slated to start in spring 2020, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear something about Depp moving on before then. Just call it a hunch. It’s good to see that Warner Bros. is smart enough to take a time out and fix what went wrong, rather than plowing ahead just to stick to a timetable.
