During a special fan event for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling said that the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise has been planned as a five part series.
“We always knew that it was going to be more than one movie — we knew that from the start — so we set a trilogy as a sort of placeholder, because we knew there would be more than one movie. But we’ve now, I’ve now done the plotting properly, so we’re pretty sure it’s going to be five movies,” said the bestselling author.
Not ‘at least.’ Five. Five movies. https://t.co/61YvDIKPsG
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 13, 2016
Rowling had to put out multiple tweets to stress on the number of films made.
Five. Not seven. Not three. Five.
(Got a feeling this is going to be the new ‘not a prequel’). https://t.co/ZkjEeeDQjj
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 13, 2016
5. Five. Cinq. Fünf. Cinco. Cinque. https://t.co/t8UVZMtO8V
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 13, 2016
The Harry Potter spinoff series has always been projected as a trilogy. Its first film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, releases next month.
Rowling also revealed that other details might come up in future films. She says upcoming installments will talk about fan favorite character Albus Dumbledore and his friend-turned-foe Gellert Grindelwald. The news is particularly significant because Rowling has previously said that Dumbledore, the future headmaster of Hogwarts, was gay – and in love with Grindelwald.
The Fantastic Beasts film is set in New York, and tells the story of a fictional author Newt Scamander whose name was only mentioned sparsely in the Harry Potter books. Eddie Redmayne plays the role of Scamander and the film is set 70 years before Harry Potter steps into Hogwarts.
David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, has directed this film as well.