Sequel to Harry Potter spinoff, ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ coming in 2018

A sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is already in the works, months before the first one even hits theaters.

Directed by David Yates, a veteran of the Potter franchise, will return for the sequel, to be released in November 2018.

According to Scholastic, the script book for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has already sold over two million copies in the US and Canada in its first two days in bookstores.

It’s been rumored for some time that Fantastic Beasts would be the first in a trilogy. Mashable cited Scholastic sales figures saying the series collectively has sold some 450 million books since the world was introduced to Harry, Hogwarts and the rest of the inhabitants of Rowling’s fictional world.

Do you think Fantastic Beasts will do well enough to warrant a sequel, or are the studios getting a little ahead of themselves? The book version of the script also recently went on sale, moving more than 2 million hardcover copies in its first two days.

Here’s a synospis: The story opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is slated for a worldwide release in 3D and IMAX – and, of course, some normal screens – on Friday 18th November 2016. It does mean that returning director David Yates is going to remain very busy as he’s likely already in pre production for the major film for shooting in 2017. Neil Blair, Rick Senat and Danny Cohen will serve as executive producers.

News of this film comes just days after the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script, and the premiere of the play in London. Might that be the cause of less-than-stellar sales for the latest story from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding world? “So, I’m thrilled to see it realized so beautifully, but, no, Harry is done now”.

The Fantastic Beasts series plays a major role in expanding Rowling’s “Wizarding World”.