News, Cast & Story Details

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore arrived in 2022, and here’s everything to know about its sequel, Fantastic Beasts 4. The Fantastic Beasts franchise, a prequel series set decades before the Harry Potter films, has not had the smoothest journey. Between the release of the second and third films, the role of Grindelwald was recast — with Mads Mikkelsen replacing Johnny Depp — and J.K. Rowling at the center of controversy, among other things. The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third installment, following Albus Dumbledore, Newt Scamander, and their assembled group of allies as they aim to stop Gellert Grindelwald in his bid for power over the Wizarding World.

The third film certainly leaves room for more of Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s story to be told in Fantastic Beasts 4, if it’s still happening. Before the release of The Secrets of Dumbledore, it seemed rather clear there would be a fourth installment of the franchise. However, the future of Fantastic Beasts could depend on a lot of factors, especially now that HBO is officially expanding the Wizarding World franchise with a Harry Potter reboot television series. With WarnerMedia merging with Discovery as well, will Fantastic Beasts 4 still happen? Here is everything to know about the fourth film, including what the story might entail and the predicted release date.

The Latest Fantastic Beasts 4 News

It has been officially confirmed that HBO Max will be launching a Harry Potter TV show, rebooting the entire franchise and exploring one of J.K. Rowling’s books per season. With controversial author J.K. Rowling executive producing, this gives showrunners an opportunity to explore many of the plots that the original film series missed out on while providing a deeper exploration of the full Harry Potter story. The television show will feature an entirely new cast. However, what it also means is that other Harry Potter projects, such as Fantastic Beasts 4 and a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie, could be getting the ax.

Fantastic Beasts 4 might still be happening, but the fourth installment is on shakier ground than the first three movies, and no confirmation has happened that the movie is being made. Per Variety, the Fantastic Beasts franchise is reportedly not worth continuing. As of right now, a screenplay for the film has not been written, and it’s alleged WB was waiting to see how Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore fared at the box office (poorly) before moving ahead with Fantastic Beasts 4.

The latest news around Fantastic Beasts 4 comes from star Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), who revealed in an interview (via IndieWire) that he’s heard neither hide nor hair about plans for Fantastic Beasts 4. The fact that Secrets of Dumbledore ended with Grindelwald not yet defeated sets the stage for the fourth Fantastic Beasts film, but it’s looking doubtful that WB will carry on with its original plans. With the Harry Potter reboot television show now on the foreground of the goings-on in the Wizarding World franchise, it looks like WB will focus all its efforts there rather than a Fantastic Beasts movie.

Fantastic Beasts 4 Hasn’t Been Confirmed

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was initially envisioned to be the third in a five-part pentalogy of Fantastic Beasts movies. However, there’s still no word on whether Fantastic Beasts 4 has been confirmed as of April 2023. While there’s been no official notice of the franchise being scrapped either, comments like those from star Eddie Redmayne and the new Harry Potter TV series aren’t exactly promising. Considering the wider controversy surrounding Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, and the Wizarding World franchise in general, there’s every possibility that The Secrets of Dumbledore ends up being the final movie in a trilogy, rather than the mid-point of a longer saga.

Fantastic Beasts 4 Predicted Release Date

It all depends on when (or if) the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts 4 will be completed. Suffice it to say fans might be waiting a bit longer for Fantastic Beasts 4, if it were to happen. Director David Yates is set to helm a film for Sony in the interim, and Warner Bros. planned a break between The Secrets of Dumbledore and the fourth installment. Depending on how long the break will ultimately be, it’s possible the unlikely-looking Fantastic Beasts 4 won’t glide into theaters until mid-to-late 2025 at the earliest, that is if the new Harry Potter reboot show doesn’t knock it out of the race entirely.

Which Characters Can Return For Fantastic Beasts 4?

Since Fantastic Beasts 4 hasn’t been confirmed yet, there is no cast to report. That being said, on the slim chance that the movie is still happening, it’s best to look back at previous installments to see who would carry over. Rowling doesn’t look like she’s giving Ezra Miller the boot just yet, and he’d likely return as a dying Credence. Presumably, Mads Mikkelsen would stay in the role of Grindelwald, as Johnny Depp most certainly won’t return, and Jude Law would remain as Dumbledore.

Eddie Redmayne has no news about Fantastic Beasts 4, but he’d definitely come back as Newt if the opportunity arises, and the same goes for Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski. As for Queenie, Tina, and the rest of the gang, their lack of presence in Secrets of Dumbledore makes their futures less certain (particularly Tina).

How Secrets of Dumbledore Sets Up Fantastic Beasts 4

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore ends with Aurelius being taken by Aberforth Dumbledore, who is revealed as Aurelius’ father. After losing the elections to lead the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW), Grindelwald and Dumbledore are now able to duel each other after the latter aims to defend Aurelius’ life from the former’s wrath. The breaking of the blood pact is crucial to how the franchise moves forward.

Dumbledore is no longer hindered by it and can finally engage with his ex-lover in a way he couldn’t for years. More importantly, the ending of The Secrets of Dumbledore reveals Grindelwald’s bad intentions to the entirety of the Wizarding World, who was watching the events of the election unfold. That could mean Grindelwald remains in hiding for most of Fantastic Beasts 4, building his army behind the scenes before returning to the public eye.

Fantastic Beasts 4 Trailer

Unfortunately, since Fantastic Beasts 4 hasn’t been confirmed yet, there is no trailer, promotional teasers, or behind-the-scenes images. People shouldn’t expect a Fantastic Beasts 4 trailer to be making the rounds any time soon, since Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore performed so poorly at the box office that it’s unlikely a fourth installment should happen. Instead, fans of the Wizarding World franchise should set their hopes on something different from on-screen Potter content, as it clearly hasn’t been performing well.

What HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot Means For Fantastic Beasts

The latest Wizarding World news is that a Harry Potter reboot television series is officially making its way to HBO Max, with each season of the show covering one HP book at a time — and the news doesn’t bode well for Fantastic Beasts 4. After Fantastic Beasts 3‘s poor foray at the box office, the fate of the Wizarding World hung uncertainly in the balance. Warner Bros. doubled down on its commitment to the Wizarding World franchise, despite its recent failures, as other products outside of Fantastic Beasts, such as the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play and the Hogwarts Legacy video game, performed exceptionally well.

While the announcement of a Harry Potter reboot television show being officially in the works at HBO Max is exciting news for HP fans, it seems like the final nail in the coffin for Fantastic Beasts 4. With star Eddie Redmayne’s admission that he’s heard no news of the sequel, David Yates’ full schedule, and now the announcement of a new Harry Potter project officially in development, Fantastic Beasts 4 seems to have been pushed to the wayside in pursuit of bigger and better things. Either way, Warner Bros. new focus could also end the possibility of a Fantastic Beasts 4.