Eddie Redmayne says the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts is “probably” over

By John Fenwick

October 31, 2024October 31, 2024

1 minute, 21 seconds Read

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Eddie Redmayne has poured cold water on fans' hopes of another film in the Harry Potter spin-off series, saying it “probably” won't happen.

Actor Newt Scamander told ComicBook that the third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, likely won't get a sequel. This was despite an original plan to produce five Fantastic Beasts films.

“I think (fans) have probably seen the last of Newt,” Redmayne said. “It was a very open answer, but yes. And that's as far as I know. I mean, you'd have to talk to the people at Warner Bros. and JK Rowling, but as far as I know, that's all.”

I think (fans) have probably seen the last of Newt.

The Fantastic Beasts series struggled to achieve widespread critical and commercial acclaim, despite being closely linked to the popular and ever-successful Harry Potter series. The first film enjoyed high box office returns despite moderate critical acclaim, but the latter two did not achieve the same success.

The third and seemingly final film had particular problems. “The Secrets of Dumbledore is an unfantastic Potter prequel with uninteresting secrets,” said IGN in our 4/10 review.

Redmayne's comments echo those of director David Yates, who said in October 2023 that the franchise was “parked.” Apparently Warner Bros. was waiting to see how The Secrets of Dumbledore would perform, so given the poor reception, it's perhaps not surprising that yet another film was announced.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll be talking about The Witcher all day.