Deadline confirms that Fantastic Beasts 3 has secured a new release date after being removed from the calendar on Friday. The movie was unset after Johnny Depp confirmed that Warner Bros. had asked him to step down from the role of Gellert Grindelwald.
This came to pass after Depp's dirty laundry was aired in public during a libel battle against The Sun newspaper. Ultimately, a UK judge decided that the publication was justified in branding him a "wife-beater." That was said in relation to claims his ex-wife, Amber Heard, had made about the time they spent together.
After previously being dated for November 12th, 2021, the untitled Fantastic Beasts threequel is now scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 15th, 2022.
Harry Potter movies The Order of the Phoenix, The Half Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 all debuted in similar slots, but the bad news for this movie is that it's coming out a week after Captain Marvel 2. As a result, it's hard to imagine it being able to reach the #1 spot at the box office.
The trade also notes that, "I hear that it’s unlikely to be the previous actor who played [Gellert Grindelwald] in [Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them], Colin Farrell, as he is busy playing The Penguin in Warner’s The Batman which is currently shooting."
Are you excited for Fantastic Beasts 3?