CONFIRMED! 'Fantastic Beasts 3' Delayed Due To Coronavirus
The coronavirus outbreak caused more nuisance after the filming of "Fantastic Beasts 3" also got halted because of the pandemic.
A source told Variety that Warner Bros. canceled the scheduled filming of the third installment of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
The film was supposed to start its production on Monday in the United Kingdom. Still, just like what happened to other productions and movies, the team behind "Fantastic Beasts" also decided to hold it off temporarily.
The third leg of the Harry Potter prequel series followed the 2016 film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and eventually received a follow-up through "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" in 2018.
According to Deadline, the coronavirus affected the start of production of "Fantastic Beasts," and no one knows yet when they would resume it, or if it would affect the scheduled release date on November 12, 2021, in any way.
However, they are sure that its sales will be affected by the plague since all the other films in Hollywood already experienced its negative impact. The film also faced two filming cancellations before the third and most recent one.
In addition, the performance of "Fantastic Beasts 3" will determine the future of the series. Initially, the studio agreed to create five Fantastic Beasts movies since the franchise is one of WB's top chapters, with the first two films bagging more than $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office.
However, since the coronavirus can occur and harm people for months -- or worst-case scenario, years -- the third installment could be a flop and end up staying a trilogy.
Not the Only Delayed Film
Over dozens of other blockbusters' releases have also been canceled due to the continuous sweeping of coronavirus.
Warner Bros. also announced on Friday that they would be postponing "The Batman." The initial release date for the film is June 25, 2020, but it might change since there is a change in the shooting schedule.
Daniel Craig's "No Time To Die" has been pushed for a November release instead of April 2020. The last Craig-led film will now come out on Nov. 12 and 25 in the U.K. and the U.S., respectively.
The remake of the 1998 animated film "Mulan," which was expected to be a massive hit once it premieres in China, also suffered from losses despite having Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and Gong Li in the casting. They expected to a huge success in China since they have the big three who would massively contribute to the anticipated and guaranteed billion sales of the film.
Other big films such as "A Quiet Place Part II" and "Fast and Furious 9" have been hindered, the latter of which got pushed back an entire year.
The said virus, which was described as a "bleak winter" for the Chinese entertainment industry, hurt all films and producers sales as they rely heavily on overseas revenues, particularly from China and Asia.
Currently, the total number of coronavirus cases worldwide has already reached 182,723 people, over 7,000 of which succumbed to death while 79,000 of patients have recovered.
