‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Production Halted Due To Coronavirus
Fantastic Beasts 3 was set to start shooting in London this week, but filming has become delayed due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. Production on the third installment in the Harry Potter prequel series, which started with 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, had already been pushed back a few times. You see, the second movie — Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — didn’t do so hot. So Warner Bros. was taking its time with developing the third story, in hopes of saving the franchise. J.K. Rowling has been on board as writer since June 2018, but many fans had qualms with her attempts to change what was and wasn’t Harry Potter canon. Now, Fantastic Beasts 3 will be delayed again.
The news was announced by Deadline, merely days after Fantastic Beasts 3 vowed to keep production underway. But circumstances surrounding the coronavirus are changing from day to day, hour to hour. Warner Bros. has not revealed whether or not this delay in production will affect its November 2021 release date.
Fantastic Beasts 3 joins a rapidly expanding list of titles whose productions have been halted by coronavirus concerns. Mission: Impossible 7 was one of the first movies stop filming in Italy, but now Disney has announced that it will be holding off on completing any of its live-action movies until conditions improve. This includes The Little Mermaid, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s The Last Duel, and Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.
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