Warner Bros. isn’t having much luck when it comes to the DC Films Universe, but they’re clearly confident in the chances of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them being a hit this December. We’ve known for a while that J.K. Rowling envisioned the series as a trilogy and that she’s already started working on a second instalment, but that now has a release date.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has given it a November 16th, 2018 slot. It’s currently the only movie being released that weekend, while others coming out that month include How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Gigantic. There’s no competition from Marvel, something which is sure to mean that Warner Bros. execs can now breathe easy.
The trade also has a few minor plot details, pointing out that Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them will, “move deeper into an increasingly dark time for the wizarding world, where Newt Scamander and the story’s other heroes have to decide on their allegiances.” With Rowling on writing duties, director David Yates is indeed going to take the helm of the sequel.
This is a bold move by Warner Bros. but the studio is clearly confident that Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is going to be a critical and commercial hit. In all honesty, the connection to the Harry Potter franchise pretty much ensures that despite the fact that it’s obviously impossible for that character to appear in any form in this 1920s set spinoff.
