Fantastic Beasts 3 Production Suspended Due To COVID-19

Production on the third Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie has been suspended. It's been reported that a crew member has tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Variety, shooting on the Fantastic Beasts 3 has been paused while the unnamed crew member goes into isolation. The movie is currently filming at the Warner Bros. studio in Leavesden, UK.

In a statement, a Warner spokesman said, "A team member from Fantastic Beasts 3 has tested positive for COVID-19.The diagnosis was confirmed as a result of required and ongoing testing that all production employees receive, and the team member is currently in isolation. Out of an abundance of caution, Fantastic Beasts 3 paused production and will be back up in accordance with safety guidelines."

Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently scheduled for release on July 22, 2022. The movie was set to arrive in November this year, but it experienced a set-back when Johnny Depp left the movie after losing a British court battle against a tabloid that labeled him a "wife beater" in connection to his marriage to actress Amber Heard. He has since been replaced in the role of Gellert Grindelwald by Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen.

The movie will also see the return of Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander and Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, plus Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, and Callum Turner. Fantastic Beasts 3 is directed by David Yates, who helmed the previous two films, plus four of the Harry Potter series.

For more, check out GameSpot's guide to the biggest upcoming movies of 2021.