In October 2016, ahead of the premiere of the first film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling announced that the Fantastic Beasts series would comprise a total five films. However, it seems that three films are all we'll get from the series after remarks from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hint that the franchise is at an end.
, "We're going to have a real focus on franchises. We haven't had a Superman movie in 13 years and we haven't had a Harry Potter movie in 15 years." Completely ignoring the Fantastic Beasts franchise in his statement, many fans seem to support this, a fact that comes as no surprise due to the mixed critical reception the films have received so far.
Reports had emerged earlier that the future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise was pegged on the financial success of the third film, Secrets of Dumbledore. The threequel grossed $405 million worldwide, a Wizarding World franchise low. Plagued by controversies focused on J. K. Rowling and Johnny Depp, the latter of whom was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the third film after allegations of domestic violence, a decision to axe the series and chart a new course for the franchise looks like the right move for Warner Bros. Discovery.