People absolutely adore the “Harry Potter” film franchise. But people were not huge fans of the spinoff film series, “Fantastic Beasts.” So much so, the films probably won’t have a conclusion, as the final two films are seemingly not going to be made. At least, that’s what Katherine Waterston believes.

READ MORE: ‘Harry Potter’: Mark Rylance Eyed To Play Dumbledore In New TV Series

Speaking to NME, Katherine Waterston was asked about the future of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise.

Continue reading Katherine Waterston Is Still Under Contract For ‘Fantastic Beasts’ But Believes “That Ship Has Sailed” at The Playlist.

The ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise is one of the most popular of all time. However, that popularity seemingly didn’t help the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, as the spinoff films earned far less than the ‘HP’ films. And so much money was lost, it appears the franchise won’t get to finish its story, according to a couple of ‘Fantastic Beasts’ stars. 

Speaking to Variety, while promoting his upcoming film “The Order,” Jude Law was asked about the status of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts’: Both Jude Law & Eddie Redmayne Believe The Film Series Is Dead at The Playlist.

What is going on with the “Harry Potter” film franchise? That’s a question that is growing more and more opaque as the months go on. After a massively successful film series covering all of J.K. Rowling’s original books, the author started a spinoff film franchise, “Fantastic Beasts,” which was supposed to rejuvenate the quiet franchise and lead to five more films. However, that experiment has, uh, not worked out so well.

Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’: Warner Bros. Discovery Wants A 2-Part ‘Cursed Child’ Film But J.K. Rowling Hasn’t Signed On Yet at The Playlist.

Yesterday, it was revealed during the Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call that the company would still be moving forward with Ezra Miller’s big tentpole film “The Flash,” and that more work could be done to improve it, which signals reshoots. This has been deeply confusing to fans, and pundits: a $90 million “Batgirl” film with a person of color in the lead was canceled by the company, while a film starring an actor who has been besieged with bad press is proceeding.

Continue reading New Ezra Miller Harassment & Grooming Allegations Pile-Up, Including Claims Of “Frightening Emotional Outbursts” at The Playlist.

Ezra Miller‘s already had their fair share of legal troubles this year following their recent arrests in Hawaii. But now it looks like that’s just the beginning, as newly filed court documents accuse Miller of grooming a minor since the age of 12, and using “violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions, and drugs to hold sway” over the young woman.

According to TMZ, Tokata Iron Eye‘s parents, attorney and activist Chase Iron Eyes, and his wife, Sara Jumping Eagle, filed the legal docs on Tuesday.

Continue reading Ezra Miller Accused Of Grooming Teenager With Drugs & Alcohol As Parents Seek Protective Order From Court at The Playlist.

It is looking like the “Fantastic Beasts” movies are putting Warner Bros. in a difficult position. Creator J.K. Rowling‘s Twitter comments targeting the trans community, and the removal/recasting of Johnny Depp as the villain of the “Harry Potter” spinoffs/prequels after losing a lawsuit against the British press referring to him as a “wife-beater,” have embarrassed the studio. The latest hiccup saw co-star Ezra Miller arrested in Hawaii for “disorderly conduct and harassment,” the actor’s second altercation connected to drinking at a bar.

Continue reading WB Reportedly Mulling Over Next Two ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Installments Based On ‘The Secrets Of Dumbledore’ Box Office Performance at The Playlist.

After numerous delays, it appears the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise is ready to continue, as we now have a trailer for the next installment in the Wizarding World, ‘The Secrets of Dumbledore.’

As seen in the trailer for the film, ‘Secrets of Dumbledore’ continues the story of the first two ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films and shows the growing battle between good and evil in the Wizarding World as Newt Scamander is set to join forces with Dumbledore to defeat the evil Grindelwald, once and for all. 

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’ Trailer: The Wizarding World Goes To War In April at The Playlist.

Fandom is a funny thing. If you love something enough, whether it be a superhero, a wizard, or any other pop culture icon, you can forgive some pretty egregious things. You know, like the idea of an entire franchise created by an openly transphobic author who spouts hateful things on social media frequently. But, by golly, people love Harry Potter and the Wizarding World, and they’re eagerly anticipating the release of the new film, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”

READ MORE: Ralph Fiennes Defends J.K.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Teaser: WB Wants You To Remember Your Love Of Harry Potter Before The New ‘Beasts’ Film Arrives at The Playlist.

Without getting into details about the ugly nature of the legal battles between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, suffice it to say, it’s had a major effect on the careers of both involved. For Heard, she’s still been starring in major films, most notably “Aquaman” and the upcoming sequel ‘The Lost Kingdom,’ but she’s been the subject of intense hate from Depp fans and has had multiple social media campaigns against her to get her fired from projects.

Continue reading Johnny Depp Says He’s The Victim Of A “Hollywood Boycott” & Is “Proud” Of His Devoted Fans at The Playlist.

The controversy surrounding Johnny Depp and his allegedly violent relationship with ex-wife Amber Heard has been making headlines for what seems like decades, at this point. Most people have chosen sides and are content with just arguing about it on social media. But in terms of real-world impact, the legal battles and alleged abuse led to Warner Bros. parting ways with Johnny Depp when it comes to his planned role in the new “Fantastic Beasts” sequel.

Continue reading Mads Mikkelsen Doesn’t Have A Johnny Depp Hot Take But Would’ve Loved To Talk To Him About ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Role at The Playlist.

Though J.K. Rowling has been beloved by fans for decades now, as her “Harry Potter” book series became some of the biggest hits in history, the past couple of years haven’t been so great for the author. This is because her comments on social media have sparked a fair amount of outrage as people call out her transphobic viewpoints. And even though there are many associated with the ‘Harry Potter’ films that have stood against Rowling’s comments, she does have one defender—Voldemort.

Continue reading Ralph Fiennes Defends J.K. Rowling & Calls Backlash Against The Author’s Transphobic Comments “Disturbing” at The Playlist.

A couple of weeks ago, the Wizarding World fandom got riled up when it was reported that WarnerMedia is currently seeking out ways to spinoff the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise into the HBO Max TV series realm. At the time, WarnerMedia didn’t confirm nor deny the report and fans began to speculate what the potential series might look like. Well, HBO/HBO Max boss, Casey Bloys, was recently asked about this at the TCA panel (via THR), and he didn’t give much more information.

Continue reading HBO Max Executive Talks ‘Harry Potter’ TV Spinoff & Confirms No Deals Are In Place Yet at The Playlist.

It was only a matter of time, right? The writing has been on the wall now since WarnerMedia announced plans for its own exclusive streaming service. Now, one of the studio’s biggest franchises, “Harry Potter,” is coming to HBO Max in the form of a new TV series.

READ MORE: Chris Columbus Wanted To Return For Last Two ‘Harry Potter’ Movies

According to THR, WarnerMedia is in the early stages of figuring out how to bring “Harry Potter” to the streaming world of HBO Max.

Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’ TV Series In Early Stages Of Development For HBO Max at The Playlist.

No one can have it all, but if you’re Mads Mikkelsen, you can get pretty close. The 55-year-old Danish actor is a man in demand for some of the biggest names in cinema: James Bond, Marvel, Star Wars … and now Harry Potter. Mikkelsen called amidst production on the third “Fantastic Beasts” film, in which he’s been tapped to replace Johnny Depp as villainous Gellert Grindelwald.

READ MORE: ‘Another Round’ With Mads Mikkelsen Is A Boozy Blast Of A Midlife Crisis Movie [TIFF Review]

But we’re chatting to discuss “Another Round,” Mikkelsen’s latest project in his native Denmark.

Continue reading Mads Mikkelsen Talks Drinking and Dancing in ‘Another Round,’ Joining ‘Fantastic Beasts’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

A week or so ago, Warner Bros. and Johnny Depp announced that the actor would be departing his most famous current role, as Grindelwald in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise. This is a direct result of the actor’s recent lawsuit that was filed against a UK tabloid that resulted in a lot of personal information, including possible domestic violence, being brought to light. And now, the ‘Harry Potter’ spinoff franchise is looking to move forward without the actor who was established as the series’ primary antagonist.

Continue reading Jude Law Comments On Johnny Depp’s ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Departure & Will “Defer To The Studio” About Decision at The Playlist.

What may be one of the best casting upgrades in recent memory, it appears Mads Mikkelsen is in talks to replace Johnny Depp as the villain Gellert Grindelwald in “Fantastic Beasts 3.”

READ MORE: Johnny Depp Resigns From ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Role At The Request Of Warner Bros.; New Sequel Gets Delayed To 2022

Deadline reports that “Hannibal” actor Mads Mikkelsen is the top choice to take over the role of Grindelwald in the next installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Mads Mikkelsen In Talks to Replace Johnny Depp As Grindelwald at The Playlist.

While we didn’t cover the libel case on the site (as it’s all part of a huge legal issue that involved the personal lives of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and had very little do with any actual film news), there was a judgment that was handed down recently and Depp found himself losing the lawsuit. Though a lawsuit is definitely not proof of any criminal activity or anything like that, if nothing else, the constant barrage of depositions and evidence that was brought to light was not flattering for anyone involved, specifically not Heard or Depp.

Continue reading Johnny Depp Resigns From ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Role At The Request Of Warner Bros.; New Sequel Gets Delayed To 2022 at The Playlist.

Eddie Redmayne, like many other A-list actors, has a platform that allows him to speak to millions of people, whether through his performances or even in public appearances and interviews. Yet, don’t expect Redmayne to use that platform to spread a political agenda. It’s not going to happen. In fact, the actor would also like fans to maybe chill out a little when it comes to the negative words being said about one of his ‘Fantastic Beasts’ collaborators, J.K.

Continue reading Eddie Redmayne Is Upset Over The “Absolutely Disgusting” Comments Aimed At J.K. Rowling at The Playlist.

Over the past several years, we’ve seen JK Rowling go from being the creator of one of the most beloved fantasy novel series of all time, ‘Harry Potter,’ to becoming known as a transphobic writer that nearly always finds herself in the middle of some controversy. Normally, she’s able to disappear from social media for a bit and the furor wanes. But with her most recent transphobic comments and the reaction from some stars of the franchises she spawned, it appears that Rowling is no longer content with sitting back and letting the controversy pass.

Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’ Creator J.K. Rowling Doubles Down On Transphobic Message In A New Essay at The Playlist.

It’s clear that many fans are upset with JK Rowling after her most recent transphobic tweets made headlines. (“Most recent” being the important part of that, considering she has a history of transphobic comments.) Yesterday, we saw that ‘Harry Potter’ star Daniel Radcliffe spoke out against the comments, showing his support for the trans community. And today, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ star Eddie Redmayne did the same.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Star Eddie Redmayne Speaks Out Against Transphobic Tweets From J.K. Rowling at The Playlist.

JK Rowling is back in the news, but the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts’ author isn’t earning a lot of fans with her latest comments. Recently, the author went on Twitter to defend her views on trans people, which is viewed by many as transphobic. But even though this isn’t the first time Rowling has done something like this, we now have ‘Harry Potter’ star Daniel Radcliffe speaking out against the words of the writer.

Continue reading Daniel Radcliffe Says “Transgender Women Are Women” After J.K. Rowling’s Most Recent Transphobic Tweets at The Playlist.

After the massive success of the ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise, Warner Bros. was understandably bullish on making sure the prequel franchise, ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ followed a similarly consistent release cycle. But after the second feature in the new franchise, ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald,’ things got delayed. And now with COVID-19 (coronavirus), there are even more delays expected. But never fear, ‘Potter’ fans, one of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ stars has read the script for the third film and thinks everyone is going to be very happy.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Star Says Film Is “Very Similar To The Feel Of The First Movie” & Leads To A “Massive War” at The Playlist.

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Warner Bros. might have been expecting more from the studio’s ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film series. It would be bad enough that both films haven’t had the box office showings that WB hoped for. But there’s also the fact that critics and fans have been less-than-enthusiastic about the new series of films written by ‘Harry Potter’ creator J.K.

Continue reading J.K. Rowling Gets A Co-Writer For Third ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Film As WB Makes Changes To Upcoming Production at The Playlist.

The Art Director’s Guild of America announced their 2019 ADG Awards nominees and thanks to multipe categories across film and television almost every possible movie or program that could get nominated did.  On the film side that meant potential Oscar nominees such as “Black Panther,” “The Favourite,” “First Man,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Roma.”  The TV nominees saw acclaimed work for “Homecoming,” “The Good Place,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Sharp Objects” and “Maniac” earn recognition from the guild.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther,’ ‘The Favourite’ Top 2019 Art Director Guild Awards Nods at The Playlist.