November 18 will be a day long remembered by Potterheads as the moment when Warner’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them roared into theaters, opening up a whole new chapter of witchcraft and wizardry in the process.
Having mapped out plans for five feature films, to say that WB has been bullish in its forecast may read as something of an understatement, but at least based on early box office figures coupled with the first wave of reviews, Fantastic Beasts is off to a commendable start. And though it’s far too early to devote much attention to the planned 2018 sequel, lead star Eddie Redmayne has revealed how Warner Bros. plans to work around the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them moniker with future installments; by taking a leaf out of Harry Potter‘s book.
Per Snitch Seeker (via /Film), Redmayne revealed, “you know, I did actually ask that question to David Yates and David Heyman yesterday. And the answer is “Fantastic Beasts” will remain in the title if we go forward, and then it’ll be ‘and the…'”
Given that many people already refer to David Yates’ mystical offshoot as Fantastic Beasts, as opposed to its full, weighty title, it certainly makes a lot of sense to lock down FB as the brand name and allow each sequel to be identified without the need for numbers – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 5 just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it now? Moreover, are those four, mysterious titles buried in the pages of Newt Scamander’s wondrous Hogwarts textbook? We’ll find out in due time.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them graces theaters today, November 18 (our review). Its direct sequel, meanwhile, which really ought to be titled Fantastic Beasts and How to Contain Them, has already staked out November 16, 2018 for its release date.