How often we will see new Fantastic Beasts movies, according to David Heyman

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

When it was announced by J.K. Rowling there would be not one, not two, not three, not four but, wait for it, five FANTASTIC BEASTS movies the world collectively lost control of their bodily functions. Whether it was out of joy or disdain we’ll never know, but the news that this supposedly one-off film will become a whole new saga was shocking to everyone. After “Why?” people have been wondering just how often we will get these movies. To quell our plagued minds we have been graced with an answer from series producer, David Heyman.

Talking with Cinema Blend the producer was asked exactly how many years we would have to wait in between movies, and his answer was not surprising, but does little to dull the shock of the news:

“Yep, every two years. Well, let's see. Let's hope people come to this one. If they come to this one we'll make the next one. That's quite an intense schedule every two years. So I'm hoping that it'll be every two years, but if it bleeds into two and a half years so be it.”

So, if we put our third grade thinking caps on and do some math, that means we could be attending these movies into as late as fall 2026, if we get one every two-and-a-half years and five movies. That’s a long time to stay committed to these. It’s totally possible I could be dead by then given my rock and roll lifestyle and love of shark poking!

Though he seems sure of the timeline (saying the sequel could begin filming July or August of next year, aimed for a 2018 release), there also seems to be a hesitancy in his words, in that a lot of it hinges on the success of this first one. Should the movie not live up to the box office heights set for it, and if response is lackluster, we may get fewer sequels than we thought. Granted that’s just this writer’s humble interpretation of the quote, but given that there’s no bevy of individual stories acting as source material (unlike the original HARRY POTTER saga), this series could be tweaked to stop at, say, a third movie instead of a fifth. But the movie will likely be a hit, unless critical reviews and fan reactions are sub-par, which could have a negative impact on the numbers. Now that DOCTOR STRANGE has come and conquered there are only two real nerd-centric movies left to come out, FANTASTIC BEASTS and ROGUE ONE, and they're both expected to be huge, so at this point I would be marking off spots on your calendars for the next ten years. Hope you weren't planning on joining the Peace Corps during that time frame.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM will arrive on November 18.