In the now-grand tradition of Marvel (and the upcoming likes of Hasbro, Call of Duty, Ubisoft, Ghostbusters, X-Men etc.), Warner Bros. are planning a shared cinematic universe of films set around the world of “Harry Potter.” While the boy wizard’s adventures wrapped up in 2011 with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” the studio is still very interested in making money from it.
Hence “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” set in New York City in the 1920s, focusing on the adventures of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), one of hundreds of periphery “Potter” characters who could have a Film (or series of films) centred around them.
‘Fantastic Beasts’ will have four sequels
Originally reported to be a trilogy back in 2014, Rowling recently announced that there would in fact be five films in the “Fantastic Beasts” saga. It appears that the rule at Warners with how many films to do in each series within the “Wizarding World” universe is basically as many as Rowling wants to do,” and with regards to “Fantastic Beasts” at least, that went from there to five.
These four sequels, and by extension, the entire cinematic universe Warners intends to build, all hinges on the box office success of the first “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” in order to gauge how much interest audiences have in this world minus Harry and his friends.
So far, it’s looking good: it grossed over $200 million worldwide in its opening weekend and analysts are comparing its box office prospects to that of the $1 billion-grossing “The Hobbit,” showing that even without the beloved characters and even Hogwarts, the “Potter” universe can still live on.
What might future films entail?
As for future films beyond the fifth and final “Fantastic Beasts,” there are other books in Rowling’s world to be mined for material. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is based on a textbook Rowling ghost-wrote as Scamander (and admirably gave 80% of the proceeds to charities for poor children) to outline the magical creatures in the “Harry Potter” world, and there are other books she has written in that wheelhouse that could lead to adaptations.
There is also “Quidditch Through the Ages,” written under the guise of Kennilworthy Whisp, which could end up getting a series of films based on it a few years down the line. Johnny Depp’s role as Grindelwald is slated to be expanded on in the “Fantastic Beasts” sequels, possibly leading to his own standalone spinoff film or film series. A film adaptation of the new play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is also a possibility.
