Harry Potter is on top of the world. The legend of the famous boy wizard may have ended in 2011, but the universe his story created lives on in theme parks, critically acclaimed plays and now a new prequel. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, starring Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne, flies into theaters on November 18, but Warner Brothers is so confident in their new Potterverse flick that they’ve greenlit a sequel for a November 16, 2018 release date.
The upstart Fantastic Beasts franchise is based on the J.K. Rowling book of the same name, and follows magizoologist Newt Scamander (Redmayne), a friend of Dumbledore’s, and his wild adventures in New York City 70 years before the official start of the Potter saga. The yet untitled sequel will be directed by David Yates, who helmed the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts film after directing the final four Potter films. According to Warner Brothers, the second Fantastic Beasts movie “moves deeper into an increasingly dark time for the wizarding world, where Newt and our other heroes have to decide on their allegiances.”
Rowling, who forayed into screenwriting as the sole writer on the first flick, will also write the follow-up. With that in mind, it may be J.K., not Harry, who is on top of the world.
The sequel to the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will open in theaters on November 16, 2018.
