“Fantastic Beasts” Release Date Pushed Back to June 2017 – Recasting to Blame

by · April 1, 2016

Not seen since the days of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince back in August of 2008 has the Potter fandom seen a delay in the release of one of its major films. But here we are again! An eight month delay in the release of the first installment for the new trilogy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The hotly-anticipated spin-off to the Harry Potter series, which stars Eddie Redmayne and follows the adventures of Newt Scamander, was originally set to be released in November but is being pushed back until June 2017.

Why the delay?

According to insider sources, there are two main reasons: First and foremost, the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent-pole release, as proven by the success of the last Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which is the highest grossing film in the series at over one billion dollars worldwide.

Secondly, and more to the point, J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter author and screenplay writer for Fantastic Beasts, recently attended an initial screening of the film and was apparently unconvinced of a main actor’s portrayal and character role. It may appear that the role will be eliminated entirely from the film series thus causing the need to create and film several new scenes for principal photography in the coming weeks. This additional filming will result in a delay of several months.

Why Rowling is writing out a major character has us questioning which Fantastic Beasts star will be eliminated from the project? We will continue to investigate this story and update you with more information as it becomes available to us.

Does this delay in the cinematic release of Fantastic Beasts frustrate you more or less than the delay for Half-Blood Prince? Tell us in the comments below.