Fantastic Beasts Director Says Harry Potter Spin-Off Is “Parked,” So Don’t Expect Another One Anytime Soon

David Yates, the director of all three Fantastic Beasts movies, has revealed that the franchise is currently “parked” and was originally unaware of J.K. Rowling’s five-film plan for the series.

In an interview with Total Film (via Variety), Yates explained that the Fantastic Beasts team is currently taking a break by saying:

“We made those three movies, the last one through a pandemic, and it was enormous fun but it was tough. We were actually filming when there wasn’t a vaccine. Thankfully, no one got sick, but we did have the most detailed protocols in place. We’re all so proud of [‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’], and when it went out into the world, we just needed to sort of stop and pause and take it easy.”

Many fans began to speculate if Fantastic Beasts would receive another film mainly because of how poorly Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore performed at the box office. When the film initially came out, it earned $43 domestically at the box office, which could be better when it cost $200 million.

Further into the interview, Yates said, “The idea that there were going to be five films was a surprise to most of us.” The news was first revealed to Yates during a press screening. No one had told Yates that J.K. Rowling intended to have film films even after production of the first movie had begun.

“No one had told us there were going to be five, we’d committed to the first one… I’m sure at some point, we’ll be back. But yeah, I haven’t spoken to Jo, I haven’t spoken to [producer] David Heyman, I haven’t spoken to Warner Bros; we’re just taking a pause. It’s quite nice.”

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore was released last year, and in our review, Chris E. Hayner wrote “Once upon a time, the Wizarding World was a crown jewel movie franchise that seemingly couldn’t be stopped. Those days are gone, though, and what we’re left with is a lackluster trilogy of films that pale in comparison to the original series.”