Warner Bros. has halted production onFantastic Beasts 3andKing Richardover coronavirus concerns. These Warner Bros. projects are just the most recent ones the studio has shuttered. Just a few days earlier, on Saturday, March 14, Warner Bros. alsoshut down filming onThe Batmanin the UK.
Deadline was the first to report on Warner Bros. shuttering of production onFantastic Beasts 3andKing Richard. The thirdFantastic Beastsfilm was just about to begin filming in London.Varietyreports the feature was set to use the same sound stage asThe Batmanonce the latter film moved filming to Liverpool, with Warner Bros. seemingly waiting to shut things down onFantastic Beasts 3until they knew what to do aboutThe Batman.Fantastic Beasts 3will feature returning franchise starsEddie Redmayne,Katherine Waterston,Alison Sudol, andDan Fogler, in the continuingHarry Potterspin-off saga following creature-loving wizard Newt Scamander (Redmayne) and his friends taking on the no-good, very bad Grindelwald (Johnny Depp). Plot details are scarce but the film’s action is said to take place in Brazil.David Yateswill also return to direct. Meanwhile, filming onKing Richardwas just gearing up to begin in Los Angeles following weather-related delays a week ago. StarringWill SmithandJon Bernthal,King Richardwill follow the rise of Richard Williams, father to tennis pros Venus and Serena, as his daughters rise to prominence in the tennis world. For now, it’s unclear how long production will be delayed on both films and whether this will affect each film’s respective scheduled release date.
Update:Shortly after news broke that Warner Bros. had shut down production onFantastic Beasts 3andKing Richard,The Hollywood Reporterconfirmed production onThe Matrix 4will shut down in Berlin. THR notes no filming was being done at the time at the Berlin location, just production prep. Previously, we’d reported it was unclear what Warner Bros. decision onThe Matrix 4would be as they shuttered various other projects worldwide.
Fantastic Beasts 3is still scheduled for release on June 16, 2025.King Richardis still set to debut on August 16, 2025. For more, read up on how the coronavirus-related closures areexpected to affect Hollywood.
