A number of names have been linked to Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but Warner Bros. have turned to a familiar face for the movie in the form of David Yates.
He’s currently hard at work on Tarzan starring Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, and Samuel L. Jackson, but the filmmaker is of course best known for helming the final four Harry Potter movies, including both instalments of the critically acclaimed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
While no deal is currently in place, negotiations are said to be ongoing and Yates has agreed to return.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set around 70 years before the events of the Harry Potter movies and takes the action to the other side of the pond with a New York setting. The lead is Newt Scamander, the writer of the Hogwarts textbook of the same name which was released for charity a number of years ago.
The movie is currently set to be reach cinemas on November 18th, 2016, but with Yates hard at work on the Tarzan reboot until November, a production schedule has yet to be set.
Various sources claim that the studio wanted someone familiar with the Harry Potter franchise for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, explaining why they also contacted Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron at one point (he helmed the acclaimed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).
How do you guys feel about David Yates returning to the magical world of Harry Potter?
