The filming of the third upcoming 'Fantastic Beasts' feature film in the United Kingdom has been put on hold after a crew member contracted the coronavirus.
- February 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - Production on the third "Fantastic Beasts" film has hit another snag - a crew member has tested positive for coronavirus.
The "Harry Potter" spin-off, filming at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England, has been temporarily shut down until health experts deem the set safe.
"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," a crew spokesman states. "Out of an abundance of caution, Fantastic Beasts 3 paused production and will be back up in accordance with safety guidelines."
Production on the new "Fantastic Beasts" movie, starring Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law, was scheduled to begin in March 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic prompted Warner Bros. studio bosses to postpone until September.
Johnny Depp then had to step down as villain Gellert Grindelwald after losing his libel case against The Sun newspaper over an article, in which he was described as a "wife beater."
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has stepped in to replace Depp.
Mikkelsen previously said he would love to talk to his predecessor to help build "a bridge between what Johnny did and what [he's] going to do."
"I wish I had his phone number, but unfortunately that's not the case," he said. "There's nothing else I can do, to be honest. The only approach I can have is connect the bridge between what he did and what I'm gonna do and then we'll see what lands. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own."
