Good news, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fans. We have a key update on the filming start date for the still-untitled Fantastic Beasts 3. News around the production process on the third chapter in the epic Harry Potter prequel series has come in fits and starts. The most recent bit of news emerged all the way back in January of this year, when it was reported filming on Fantastic Beasts 3 had been pushed to Fall 2019. Welp, it looks like the production timeline has changed once more.
Per a report from Comicbook.com, Fantastic Beasts star Dan Fogler recently revealed when Fantastic Beasts 3 will start filming. Fogler plays American No-Maj Jacob Kowalski and happens to be Newt Scamander's (Eddie Redmayne) partner-in-crime. As such, Fogler is an integral part of the cast so it's no surprise he'd have some important intel on the Fantastic Beasts 3 production process.
Speaking at Leaky Con 2019, Fogler shared, "We haven’t started filming yet. We start in February. Last we heard, J.K. [Rowling] … she’s been writing furiously, everyone was really happy with what she submitted, and we’re all just waiting for the new script. And that’s where we’re at." Fogler also revealed that he has not yet received a script for Fantastic Beasts 3.
Even though he's still in the dark about what J.K. Rowling — the sole screenwriter for every Fantastic Beasts installment— has in store for his character, Fogler shared his own hopes for Jacob's arc in the third Fantastic Beasts flick.
"I hope that he gets Queenie back. … I haven’t seen a script yet, and I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, and I think it will be funny if — you know how she put a spell on me to follow her around like a puppy? What if she also put a spell on me to get fit? So there’s that. But also, on a philosophical level, it’ll be interesting… We’re in the middle of the Depression, he’s just on a bender of loss. He lost her … I’m just saying this is the thing that I have in my head, that he’s lost his appetite."
Previously, Fogler noted that the continued delay on the filming start date was due to this third film — the third of five in the franchise — being "gigantic." Nevermind the fact that the release date was pushed from November 2020 to November 2021 or that this February 2020 filming start date is the second time with Fogler's comments implying production is waiting on Rowling to finish up the key ingredient for filming a movie, the script. Speaking with HeyUGuys in February, Fogler explained,
"The reason we were given is that the movie is bigger than the first two combined. They needed more time to prep and they didn’t want to rush anything so they pushed it back. I can tell you that we are going to Brazil. I don’t really know much… [laughs]. I’ll get a script closer to when we start shooting."
Fingers crossed Rowling does, in fact, get the Fantastic Beasts 3 script finished and ready for the new filming start date of February 2020. Franchise fans like myself are hungry for more adventures with Newt & Co.!
For more on the world of Fantastic Beasts and how it fits into the world of Harry Potter, check out our extensive timeline breakdown. Fantastic Beasts 3 is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 12, 2021.