Fantastic Beasts 4 - Will It Ever Happen?

Despite its telling name, the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise has leaned less and less into the mythological creatures from "Harry Potter" in recent years. After debuting Newt Scamander's (Eddie Redmayne) delightful fascination with Nifflers and Bowtruckles, the later "Fantastic Beasts" movies became more concerned with the battle for Muggles' souls. Fantastic beasts, as it were, started to factor less into these films in preference to the conflict between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. So much so that in the third film, "The Secrets of Dumbledore," it seemed pretty obvious that Jude Law's interpretation of the Headmaster was the main character. Whether or not this contributed to the franchise's failure remains to be seen.

Though "Fantastic Beasts" had promised five films in the franchise, "The Secrets of Dumbledore" made the series come to a screeching halt. With less than encouraging critical reception to the film — not to mention the Johnny Depp controversy — Newt's affection for Nifflers and sidelined love interest Tina (Katherine Waterston) seems to be put on the back burner. But that doesn't stop fans from wondering if we will ever get another installment of the fantastical franchise.

"The Secrets of Dumbledore" had a lot of failings, not even to mention the lack of beasts in the alleged "Fantastic Beasts" movie. Unfortunately for the franchise, it was essentially doomed from the start. Following the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp, Warner Bros. wasted no time replacing him with the reputable Mads Mikkelsen as villain Grindelwald. The "Hannibal" actor's addition to the cast was about the only decent thing that happened to the film.

Author J.K. Rowling continued to double down on her views of the transgender community, which may have contributed to the low returns on "The Secrets of Dumbledore." And this is ultimately what makes a follow-up film seem unlikely. The film was the lowest-grossing film in the "Harry Potter" franchise. After dispensing an estimated budget of $200 million, the film only made $407 million worldwide. This was a precursor of what was to come. After the film was released, news of more controversy swirled the cast. Ezra Miller, who plays Credence Barebone, became embroiled in allegations of physical assault on multiple occasions. This put his career as Barry Allen under a microscope and is yet another black mark against the series. One scandal is one thing, but the franchise may not survive this fallout.

David Yates is one of the most prominent director in the "Harry Potter" franchise. Entering the Wizarding World in "The Order of the Phoenix," the filmmaker shepherded the Boy Who Lived into his final years at Hogwarts. He's also the architect behind the "Fantastic Beasts" films. If anyone would know about Newt Scamander's future, it would be him. And in September 2023, Yates answered the question on many peoples' minds.

"I have other projects on my desk, which are a million miles away from wizards and involved all sorts of things which are non-wizard associated," Yates told Deadline diplomatically. He also made it clear that he still has affection for the brand. He spent many years in the "Harry Potter" world, but in his mind, that seems to be the end. In October 2023, the filmmaker went onto the "Inside Total Film" podcast and explained, "With 'Beasts' for a minute, it's all just parked. We got to the end of ['The Secrets of Dumbledore'], and we're all so proud of that movie, and when it went out into the world, we just needed to sort of stop and pause, and take it easy."

In other words, it looks like a "Fantastic Beasts 4" won't be taking shape anytime soon, especially with Eddie Redmayne confirming Yates' sentiments. "At the moment, there's nothing that I'm aware of," Redmayne told NME in regards to a potential sequel. "So, as I'm aware, it's not something that's on the cards." However, if you need some hope to hold onto, Yates did give the "Inside Total Film" podcast one upbeat quote: "I'm sure at some point, Newt may well be back. Who can tell? We haven't had any in-depth conversations."

Setting up a five-film story is an ambitious undertaking and one that unfortunately fell short for "Fantastic Beasts." The intention was to explore the villainous Grindelwald and his ultimate demise, which is only briefly touched on in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." As it stands, this story may be left up in the air. At the end of "The Secrets of Dumbledore," Grindelwald fails to become Supreme Leader, and Vicência Santos (Maria Fernanda Cândido) is selected. Realizing that Dumbledore and his mass of supporters have him cornered, Grindelwald Disapparates and goes on to fight another day.

If there is another installment, "Fantastic Beasts 4" would pick up the decades-long conflict that commenced between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. They would, of course, have to fight again, and the Muggle-hating wizard would end up in his prison, Nurmengard. But big plot pieces are not the reason fans keep revisiting this world. Newt is unlike the protagonists of other "Harry Potter" fare. An unequivocal Hufflepuff, he is caring and selfless. Most fans want to see his emotional journey come to fruition. For most of the film, his love interest, Tina, is absent. He is left in the shadow of his older brother and can only count on missions from Dumbledore to get him through. Tina reappears at the end for Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Jacob's (Dan Fogler) wedding, portending that there is a future for her and Newt.

As the foremost wizard who knows about the titular beasts, Newt Scamander would be the first choice to return should there be a sequel. He is the shining heart of every film in the franchise, and it doesn't hurt that he always comes accompanied by a Niffler or two. Now that Jacob and Queenie are hitched, it's likely they come as a package deal. And Tina's return should be the main crux of Newt's character, meaning all these actors would be on the docket.

But with the bigger plot at play, many new characters would also return. Dumbledore and Grindelwald are the primary sources of conflict moving forward. Intent on chasing down his old friend, Dumbledore would be a prime candidate to come back. Grindelwald may be in the wind for now, but Mikkelsen should be cropping up if the fates deliver more content. As it stands now, this all may be a moot point. Though the "Harry Potter" franchise could conceivably do more tales about Grindelwald, they may be putting their eggs in a different basket. The original "Harry Potter" books are set for the reboot treatment on Max, and that may be the franchise's future — for better or worse.