Fantastic Beasts: JK Rowling franchise has been ‘parked’, director says

A scene from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, the third film in the Harry Potter spin-off prequel series. Director David Yates said the franchise, which has increasingly struggled at the box office, has been ‘parked’ for now. Photograph: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The Harry Potter spin-off prequel series Fantastic Beasts has been “parked” by Warner Bros, according to its director David Yates.

Speaking to the Inside Total Film podcast, Yates, who has directed every Wizarding World movie since 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, said: “We’re all so proud of [2022’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore] and when it went out into the world, we just needed to sort of stop and pause and take it easy.”